The Trials of High School
by Kamari Targaryen
Summary: High school sucks. Being the new kid can make it even worse. But for Bridgette Wells, this is just another challenge, one she intends to face head on, finding friendship, adventure, and love along the way. WARNING: Contains a scene of rape.
1. The First Day, pt1

It is a fundamental rule of life, one that all teenagers know without doubt, high school sucks. Teenagers have known this fact since the first high school came into existence and no matter what their teachers or parents say they will continue to hate it until time ends. Being the new kid can make the experience even worse. In many cases being the new kid is the worst possible thing a teenager can endure during their high school years. To be the new kid means you are walking into a place that has its own established rules and social hierarchy, one that must now alter itself to include you. And this often leads to problems. Like a body being invaded by a virus the established hierarchy will do everything in its power to either welcome or destroy the new kid, and many teenagers crack under the pressure of trying to fit in. Fortunately, Bridgette Wells is not one of those kids. In fact she is quite the opposite, one of those rare teenagers forced to attend a new school who actually relishes the challenge of trying to fit in. When Bridgette's family moved from the coastal resort town Bridgette had spent her whole life in to the big city, Bridgette swore she would make the best of it, regardless of the obstacles that she was sure to meet.

Bridgette stepped out of her car and paused for a moment, struck by the size of her new school. Six months of planning and preparation had still not prepared her for just how big the school was. Her old school, back in Port Stevens, had been only three buildings, with a student body of just over two-hundred. Then again, seeing as how Port Stevens had a total population of just over three thousand Bridgette supposed it wasn't really that surprising. She sighed as the memories of the life she had left behind crept into her mind, but she quickly pushed them aside. With one last glance at the school Bridgette made her way towards the entrance determined to keep the promise she had made to herself. As she made her way inside Bridgette took note of how tight security was and just how many students there were swarming through the doors. Not wanting to be swept up in mass of bodies Bridgette moved to get out of the way but before she could take another step someone grabbed her by the shoulder. Bridgette turned to see a stern looking woman who was dressed like a security guard who was staring at her with a disgruntled look.

"Excuse me miss, but I need to check your backpack." the security woman said.

Bridgette blinked and slid her backpack off her shoulders. "Sorry, I'm new here." she mumbled as she handed her bag over.

The security woman's expression softened. "It's okay honey." she said. "I've always said they need to let new students bypass this mess on their first day." She took a moment to look through Bridgette's bag before handing it back. "You're good to go honey, have a nice day."

Bridgette smiled and nodded. "Thank you." she said, before heading through the second set of doors.

Once she was inside, Bridgette made her way over to one of several benches and pulled out her schedule. Taking a seat, she read over the piece of paper in her hand. Her first class was on the fourth floor, Advanced English, Room 412. After reading over her schedule twice more Bridgette stood and made her way to the nearest staircase. A few short minutes later Bridgette found herself standing in a much quieter hallway, staring at a door covered in posters and stickers of various bands. She checked the room number, noticing that it was 416. Guessing that room 412 was only two rooms over Bridgette made her way to the third door on the right hand side of the hall. Sure enough the room number read 412. Bridgette entered to find the room devoid of students except for a purple haired girl who was sitting in the back of the room, reading a copy of _Lord of the Flies_. For a moment Bridgette simply stood in the doorway staring at the purple haired girl, before she realized she was being rude.

"Excuse me, is this Mr. McLean's Advanced English class?" Bridgette asked.

The purple haired girl looked up from her book and nodded. When Bridgette only continued to stand there like an idiot the girl looked up again. "Well, are you going to sit or what?" she asked, with a curious look. Bridgette blinked and nodded before sitting down at the first desk in front of her, shaking her head at her own stupidity.

"So, you're that new girl, Bridgette Wells, right?" the purple haired girl asked, after a moment of silence.

Bridgette turned in her seat to stare at the girl again. "How...how did you know that?" she asked, a little disconcerted now.

"Don't worry I'm not a psychic or anything." the purple haired girl answered. "Every year I hack the school database just to see who's coming back and who's not, and if there's any names I don't recognize. This year there was only one new name, yours. And since you're the only person I've seen today who I don't know I drew the logical conclusion."

Bridgette was a bit taken aback by this girl's personality and was not sure how she should respond. For a moment, the two of them sat in silence before Bridgette spoke again. "You hacked the school database?" she asked, a note of disapproval in her voice.

"Yeah, so?" purple hair responded. "You have a problem with that?"

"No, not really." Bridgette admitted. "Actually, I think it's kinda cool."

"Well that's good to know." purple hair replied. "I'm Nikki by the way, Nikki Wong."

"It's nice to meet you Nikki." Bridgette said, getting up and moving to the desk on the right of Nikki's.

"It's nice to meet you too." said Nikki. "Finally this school gets a new student who isn't a total douchbag. Where did you transfer from anyway?"

"Point Stevens." Bridgette replied, with a glance at the door.

"Oh, I've heard good things about Point Stevens." said Nikki. "Never been there, but I've always heard it's a great town."

"Yeah, it really is." Bridgette said, with a glance at Nikki's book. "That's a great book, by the way."

"What, _Lord of the Flies_?" Nikki asked. Bridgette nodded and Nikki smiled. "Yeah, it's one of my favorites actually. I think this is my tenth time reading it."

"That's pretty impressive." said Bridgette. "I've only read it twice. Didn't really like it the first time but I gave it another try and it's actually a damn good book."

"Yeah, but there's better stuff out there." said Nikki. "Like the _Dark Tower _series by Steven King. Now those are damn good books, especially _The Gunslinger_."

Bridgette nodded and glanced at the door again. "Where is everyone?" she asked.

"Don't worry about it." said Nikki. "It's the first day of school and people are always late to Mr. McLean's class. Hell, Mr. McLean is usually late himself."

"Now Nikki, lets not go spreading rumors to new students so early in the year." said a voice from the doorway, as Mr. McLean entered the room. Bridgette flushed, but Nikki simply shrugged unperturbed by Mr. McLean's clearly joking chastising.

"I only tell it like I see it." Nikki said, with a sly grin. "How was your summer?"

"Pretty good." Mr. McLean replied. "Spent a couple weeks in Europe, nothing that exciting." He smiled and Nikki chuckled.

"So, this is our new student Bridgette Wells, I presume?" Mr. McLean asked, turning his attention to Bridgette.

"I am." Bridgette replied. "And you're the infamous Mr. McLean."

"I don't know about infamous, but yes, I am Mr. McLean." Mr. McLean said. "And please, call me Chris."

Bridgette glanced at Nikki, who shrugged and muttered, "He prefers to be called by his first name, for some reason."

"Something you seem to have forgotten over the summer." Mr. McLean said, a grin crossing his face. "And I prefer my first name because I don't want my students to think I am in any way superior to them, which my title implies."

At that moment several more students entered, including a girl with blue-green hair and a boy carrying a skateboard. Both of them made their way over to Bridgette and Nikki, the kid with the skateboard giving them a friendly nod which Nikki returned.

"Hey Nik, how's it going?" the girl asked, with a suspicious glance at Bridgette. "Who's the new girl?"

"This is Bridgette Wells." said Nikki, with a smile. "She just transferred from Point Stevens, and I was trying to make her feel welcome."

"You're from Point Stevens?" the skateboard kid asked, before Nikki's friend could respond. Bridgette nodded. "That is so rad bra. I hear they have great surfing out there."

"Yeah, some of the best waves I've ridden were at home." Bridgette replied.

"You surf?" the boy asked. Bridgette nodded again and the boy's face lit up.

"For fuck's sake Jude, let her get settled before you pummel her to death with questions." Nikki said, rolling her eyes. She glanced at Bridgette, who looked slightly confused. "Oh, that's right, you don't know who these two are, do you?" Nikki continued. Bridgette shook her head. "Well, these are my friends, Gwen Carver and Jude Lizowski."

Jude shook Bridgette's hand and Gwen nodded, both of them apparently content to welcome Bridgette into their group. Bridgette smiled and returned their greetings just as the last few students stumbled into the room and Mr. McLean began class.

An hour later Bridgette and her new friends pushed their way through the mass of students moving through the hall, heading for the stairs. Along the way they ran into a group of students whom Nikki, Gwen, and Jude obviously knew, based on the way they were greeted. Among this new group of students, one individual in particular caught Bridgette's attention. A tall boy dressed like a surfer, his blond hair mostly hidden beneath a battered cowboy hat looked directly at her and smiled. For a moment the constant buzz of chattering students dulled and the hallway faded into the background. Bridgette felt as though she were looking at the world through the fogged mirror of a dream and then, just as quickly as it had come, the sensation of true love disappeared, as a booming voice brought Bridgette back to her senses.

"Geoff?" a heavy-set boy, wearing a leather bikers jacket asked. "Yo, Geoff, what are you staring at dude?"

It took Bridgette a moment to realize who the heavy-set boy was talking to, but then she focused on the boy in the cowboy hat again, noticing that he was staring at her with a mixture of surprise and intrigue. Nikki noticed this as well and she moved to break the awkward silence that had fallen over the group. "Guys, I would like you to meet Bridgette Wells, our newest transfer student."

The boy named Geoff smiled again and moved to shake Bridgette's hand. "Hi, I'm Geoff Martin." he said. "It's nice to meet you Bridgette."

Bridgette flushed, but managed to collect herself. "It's nice to meet you too."

Geoff smiled and nodded, tipping his hat. "Well, might as well introduce the rest of the gang." he said. "This is Owen Gregorski." The heavy-set boy nodded. "Owen's girlfriend Izzy Sharpe." A girl with long curly red hair smiled and waved. "And Ezekiel Almos." A short, scrawny boy dressed in rather dirty clothes nodded and shook Bridgette's hand. Bridgette smiled and returned each of their greetings, growing more confident with each new friend she made.

"Well, we should probably get going to class." said Gwen. "Don't want to piss of Ron on our first day back." The others nodded in agreement and they headed off in different directions, Bridgette joined by Nikki and Gwen. As they made their way to their next class Bridgette thought about the sensation she had felt the first time she had seen Geoff. She had not intended to fall in love on the first day of school, but some things are just destined to happen.

**A/N: Alright, so this is my new fic and my first crossover. Obviously I don't own Total Drama or 6Teen and all that. If the point of this fic seems a bit cliche or confusing at the moment, don't worry, all will be explained in time. Please leave reviews.**


	2. The First Day, pt2

At lunch later that day Bridgette was introduced to several more people whom Nikki was friends with. Trent McKenzie was a guitar master, as well as Gwen's on again/off again boyfriend. His best friend Wyatt Williams was also an excellent guitarist and they had a band together, along with Wyatt's girlfriend Marlowe Welling, who played bass. Bridgette also met Jude's girlfriend, Starr Sullivan, a quirky girl who seemed to be stuck somewhere in between a nerd and a new age chick. Finally Bridgette was introduced to LeShawna Carter, the school's number one source for gossip and party information. Like the kids she had already met, this new group welcomed Bridgette without fuss, all of them finding something about her to like.

Once all the introductions had been made Nikki set about pointing out some of the other students in the cafeteria. "Okay, you see that table over there, by the door?" Nikki asked, pointing towards the table on the far side of the cafeteria. Bridgette nodded and Nikki continued. "That's where the nerds hang out. Now, personally I have no problem with the nerds, I'm even friends with a few of them, but I do try to avoid them cuz they're all kinda weird."

Bridgette nodded, but did not respond. She had always gotten along quite well with the nerds in Point Stevens and, regardless of what Nikki said she would do her best to get along with them here as well. "Anyway, I guess I should point out a few of the nerds, so you know who's who." said Nikki, her voice bringing Bridgette back to her senses. "Okay, so the red headed guy with the thick glasses, that's Harold McGrady. He's really dorky, probably the dorkiest of the lot."

"Hey now, Harold's a pretty cool dude." said Jude. "I mean sure he's kinda weird, but he's not as weird as Darth."

"Who's Darth?" Bridgette asked, with a confused glance at Jude.

"See the kid sitting on Harold's left?" Gwen asked. Bridgette nodded, staring at the boy who wore a long black cape and a single black glove on his right hand. "That's Darth."

"Why's he dressed like that?" Bridgette asked.

"He's deluded himself into thinking he's a Jedi or something." said Wyatt. "We don't even know his real name, he supposedly got it legally changed before he moved here."

"That's really weird." Bridgette said, agreeing with the other's assessment.

"Yeah well, that's how it goes here." Nikki muttered. "Anyway, the girl on Darth's left, in the head gear, is his girlfriend Julie. The girl next to her is Beth Brown, who's awesome. She's a master at baton twirling, especially with fire."

"A skill she learned from me, by the way." Izzy interjected, with a grin.

"Cool." Bridgette said, obviously impressed.

"The skinny kid on Harold's right is Cody Anderson." Nikki continued, as if she hadn't been interrupted. "And the girl on his right is his girlfriend Sierra Vasquez, who makes Izzy and Starr look sane by comparison."

"I resent that." Izzy muttered. "I'm way more crazy than Sierra." Nikki rolled her eyes, but the others, including Bridgette, chuckled at Izzy's joke.

"Finally there's Noah Gunderson, the guy at the back of the table." Nikki said, pointing at a boy with blow-dryed hair. "Noah's more of an intellectual than a nerd, but he hangs out with them because he's friends with Cody."

"Well, that and the fact that nobody else wants to hang out with him because he's such a jackass." said Trent.

"Well, okay, there is that." Nikki conceded. "But the main reason he hangs out with them is because he and Cody have been friends since kindergarten." She glanced at Trent who shrugged, not the least bit offended by Nikki's observation.

At that moment the bell rang and the group left the cafeteria to head to their afternoon classes. Bridgette had Advanced Biology, which was on the third floor, so she made her way towards the stairs. Gwen, Wyatt, Owen, LeShawna, and Izzy joined her, as they were all in the same class. As they made their way up to the third floor LeShawna asked Bridgette a question that would keep her thinking for the rest of the day. "So Bridgette, what do you think about Geoff?"

Bridgette froze, and then gasped in pain as Izzy ran into her, knocking her to the ground. She pulled herself to her feet and stared at LeShawna with a mixture of shock and suspicion. "Excuse me?" she asked. "What did you just say?"

"I asked you what you think of Geoff." LeShawna replied, ignoring Bridgette's stare. "Cuz I think he likes you."

Bridgette blinked, taken aback by LeShawna's response. "You think?" she asked, after a moment of silence.

"Hell yeah girl!" LeShawna replied. "I was watching him at lunch and I couldn't help but notice the way he stares at you. He hasn't looked at a girl like that since we were in the seventh grade. So what do you think about him?"

"I guess I like him." Bridgette replied, with a shrug. "I mean, I think he's cute and all but I can't really tell you for sure until I get to know him on a personal level, you know?"

"Well I think you should ask him out." said LeShawna. "He hasn't had a girlfriend in two years and I think you're the perfect match for him." Bridgette simply nodded, still too stunned by this turn of events to think straight. Before anyone else could comment on the situation the bell rang and they bolted for class, realizing they were now late.

Two hours later, as the final bell rang, Bridgette made her way to her locker, finding Nikki and Gwen waiting for her. Both of them smiled as she walked up and she smiled back, glad to have made friends so quickly. "So, enjoy your first day here?" Gwen asked, with a wry grin.

"Yeah, it went a lot better than I thought it would." said Bridgette. "Why are you smiling?"

"LeShawna told us about your conversation." said Nikki, a grin crossing her face as well. "And we agree with her. You should ask Geoff out, I saw how you went all doe-eyed when you first met him."

Bridgette opened her mouth to disagree, but stopped when she realized Nikki was right. "Alright, I'll give you that one." she conceded. Nikki smirked, but Bridgette was saved the task of explaining herself by the arrival of another new face.

"Hey Nikki, why didn't you call me over the summer?" a tall, lanky boy asked as he approached.

"Oh God." Nikki groaned, rolling her eyes before turning to face the boy. "Jonesy we've been over this a thousand times already, I am not going to date you if you're going to go behind my back and fuck other girls."

"Come on Nik." the boy named Jonesy pleaded. "It only happened once and I am really, really sorry about that."

"The answer is no Jonesy." Nikki said, her voice cold. "We will never be a couple again."

"It wouldn't kill you to give him another chance you know." a red headed girl behind Jonesy muttered, giving Nikki and Gwen a withering glare.

"Yeah, and it wouldn't hurt you to mind your own business for once Jen." Nikki growled.

"Whatever." Jen muttered before walking away, casting another dark look their direction. Jonesy followed her seconds later. The third member of their group, a tall, musclebound black boy, hesitated a moment longer, before he too left.

"What was that all about?" Bridgette asked, looking at the other two.

"That was Jonesy Garcia." Gwen replied. "He and Nikki used to date, but she broke up with him last year when she found out he was cheating on her. He's been trying to get back together with her ever since."

"Who were his two friends?" Bridgette asked. "That red-headed chick seemed like a real bitch." She looked at the other two, who both wore looks of disgust.

"That's Jen Masterson." Gwen answered, after a brief pause. "Years ago, she and Nikki were best friends, but around eight grade or so they stopped talking. Jen's convinced it's my fault, that I somehow stole Nikki's friendship from her. See, I'm not originally from here either, and Nikki was the first person to befriend me when I moved here, just like she did for you."

"Of course the real reason Jen and I hate each other is because she started hanging out with Courtney Smith, who's a control freak pain in the ass, and she changed." Nikki snarled. "The big black guy is D.J. Harris, and he's actually pretty cool, but we don't hang out with him much cuz he's always with Jonesy. Anyway, we usually meet at the bowling ally after school to just shoot the shit and whatever. You wanna come?"

"I'd love to, but I can't." Bridgette replied. "I gotta get home and help my parents finish unpacking, but I'll come with you guys tomorrow okay."

"Sounds good, see you tomorrow." said Nikki. She and Gwen turned and left, and Bridgette made her way to the parking lot, which was now virtually empty. Climbing into her car she smiled, glad her first day had gone well. Later that night, as she got ready for bed, Bridgette thought about all she had experienced that day. As she climbed into bed, her thoughts drifted to Geoff and LeShawna's declaration that he liked her. Lying there, staring at the ceiling waiting for sleep to come, Bridgette decided she would take LeShawna's advice. The next day she would ask Geoff out.


	3. Social Hierarchy

The next day Bridgette met Nikki and Gwen in the parking lot before school. Both of them looked like they were annoyed by something, but Bridgette could not figure out what. It was too early in the year to be pissed off about an overabundance of homework, so Bridgette was a little afraid to ask, in case it was something personal. In the end her curiosity got the better of her and she spoke. "You two look like you just got grounded for a year, what's up?"

The look Gwen gave her made Bridgette wish she hadn't asked, but she stood firm, determined to find out what was upsetting her new friends. Seeing that Bridgette was not going to relent Gwen sighed and answered the question. "Heather Chen is back." she muttered, her tone dark.

"Who's Heather Chen?" Bridgette asked, instantly confused.

"She's my whore of a cousin." Nikki muttered. "She's also the leader of the popular girls."

"So, I thought the two of you didn't care about that stuff." said Bridgette.

"We don't." Nikki replied. "But Heather has tormented us for years, me in particular and I'm not sure I can take another year of her telling me how much of a loser I am because I chose not to be a part of her carbon copy, material world."

Bridgette was unsure how she should respond to Nikki's tirade, so she remained silent. "We were hoping she wouldn't show up this year, that her father had finally given in to her pleas and let her go to LA to be an actress." Gwen explained. "When she didn't show up yesterday, we kind of got our hopes up, but apparently the universe had other plans."

"Why wasn't she here yesterday?" Bridgette asked, confused again.

"Supposedly she was sick or some bullshit like that." Nikki grumbled. "But I think-", her sentence was cut short by a fit of giggling behind them. Nikki inhaled sharply, her hands clenching into fists as she turned to face a tall girl with long brown hair who was surrounded by a group of giggling girls.

"I see your fashion sense didn't change over the summer." the brown haired girl said, staring at Nikki's baggy pants with disgust.

"And how was your summer Heather?" Nikki asked, doing her best to keep from hitting her cousin. "I heard you went to Paris, again."

"Yes and it was wonderful." Heather replied. "It's too bad you couldn't come, I would love to have been able to shove you off the Eiffel Tower. Nice to see you're still hanging out with this goth bitch." Gwen glared at her, but Heather ignored her. "Well, it's been lovely chatting with you, but we've got to go get ready. Come along girls." With that, Heather turned and left, her entourage trailing after her.

"Now you see why we don't like her?" Gwen asked. Bridgette nodded, deciding at that moment she would do everything in her power to avoid Heather as much as possible.

"So, just so I know, who were the rest of those girls?" Bridgette asked as they made their way inside.

"The girl with the long blond hair is Lindsey Peterson, Heather's right hand bitch." said Nikki. "The short haired blond is Caitlin Cooke, who's the only member of Heather's goon squad who we actually kind of like. The other brown haired chick is Tricia Helman, who used to be the queen bee until Heather muscled her out. She still hangs out with Heather because she's waiting for a chance to reclaim the throne, which will never happen. And the three nearly identical airheads at the back of the group are Chrissy, Kristen, and Kirsten, who are all dumber than rocks and follow Heather because they followed Tricia."

"Anyway, that's enough on that depressing topic." said Gwen, before Bridgette could ask any more questions. "We should get to class, Mr. McLean doesn't like stragglers." The other two nodded and they set off for class, Bridgette still thinking about how hostile Heather was towards her new friends.

Later that day, as she made her to the cafeteria for lunch, Bridgette was cornered by Heather and her gang, who were joined by two guys, both of whom were wearing letterman's jackets. Heather smiled as they approached, obviously trying her best to put on a good front. "Hello Bridgette." she said, her voice honey sweet. "I couldn't help but notice you hanging out with my cousin this morning and I just wanted to ask, you don't plan on sticking with her, do you?"

Bridgette didn't immediately respond, not sure if Heather was luring her into a trap or not. "I was considering it." she finally answered, watching Heather closely.

Heather smiled again. "Look, I know you're new here, so you don't have an understanding of how the social hierarchy works, but I can help you. See, there are two types of people here, the cool and the, shall we say, worthless. I trust you can figure out who's who."

"I think I can, yes." Bridgette answered, not taking her eyes off Heather.

"Good." said Heather. "Than I can also assume you'll make the right the right decision and choose me over Nikki."

"You could make that assumption, but you'd be wrong." Bridgette replied.

Heather blinked, momentarily stunned by Bridgette's response. Quickly recovering her composer she looked Bridgette directly in the eye. "Just so you know, I can make your life miserable if you choose the wrong end of the social hierarchy." she said, her voice deadly. "You may want to reconsider your choice."

"I think I'll be okay." Bridgette replied, returning Heather's stare with equal fury.

"You will regret this." Heather spat, her eyes blazing.

"Somehow I doubt that." Bridgette said, a grin forming at the corners of her mouth.

"Have it your way then." Heather said, pulling back. "But you will figure out soon enough what you've lost by denying me. Come on, let's go." She turned and walked away, her gang following her in silence.

"Too bad you'll never figure out your social hierarchy is a lie." Bridgette muttered at their backs before heading to the cafeteria. She got her food and headed over to Nikki's table, squeezing in between Gwen and Jude.

"There you are." Nikki said, as Bridgette took her seat. "Where were you?"

"Being interrogated by your cousin." Bridgette replied.

"Whoa, Heather's back?" Jude asked, dropping his burger and staring at Nikki.

"Yes." Nikki replied, her voice dark. She looked at Bridgette. "What did bitch interrogate you about?"

"She asked me if I planned on being friends with you and then tried to get me to join her." Bridgette replied, with a casual shrug.

"And what did you tell her?" Nikki asked. "Cuz I know first hand what can happen if you challenge her."

"I told her I intended to be friends with you." Bridgette replied. Seeing Nikki's concerned look she added. "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Anyway, there were these two guys with her this time and I was wondering-"

"Were they tall, wearing letterman's jackets, look like they might be related?" Gwen asked, cutting Bridgette short. Bridgette nodded.

"Great, just fucking great." Gwen muttered, rolling her eyes.

"What?" Bridgette asked. "What's so bad about them?"

"Those two guys are Justin and Alejandro Burromuerto." Gwen replied. She paused as Bridgette burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" Nikki asked, giving Bridgette an incredulous look.

"I'm sorry." Bridgette said, gasping as she tried to catch her breath. "I didn't mean to burst out like that, but did you really say their last name is Burromuerto?"

"Yes." Gwen answered. "And yes, we get the joke, but it's really not that funny."

"Whatever you say." Bridgette said. "I think it's hilarious. Anyway, why are they such a problem?"

"Well, for starters, Alejandro is Heather's boyfriend." said Jude, before Nikki or Gwen could answer. "He's also the quarterback, so he has a lot of power around here, almost as much as Heather. Justin is his cousin, and he's currently dating that nutter Tricia. Oh, and their also the two biggest bullies in the school."

"Huh, you got that right bro." said Ezekiel. "They've tried to stuff me in more than one locker, so be wary, eh?" Bridgette nodded, slightly disconcerted now that she knew the truth.

"Just be glad Tyler wasn't with them." Owen said, with a knowing glance at the others.

"Who's Tyler?" Bridgette asked, just as the bell rang.

"He's the third member of Alejandro's posse and he's worse than the other two." said Wyatt, as they left the cafeteria. "He's also on the football team, plays wide receiver, and he's Alejandro's favorite target. He actually used to be a cool guy but then he made the team and started hanging out with the popular kids and he became a total ass. It doesn't help that he's dating Lindsey, Heather's right hand bitch." He smiled grimly and Bridgette repressed a shudder. It was clear to her now that she would have to move carefully around the popular kids. As they entered Advanced Biology she made a mental note to stay as far away from the popular kids as possible for the rest of the year.

**A/N: Just in case you haven't seen TDWT, Alejandro's last name is actually Burromuerto in the show. Also, the popular kids are not the only gang who will give Bridgette trouble. Who else will try to destroy her as she attempts to assimilate to her new school? Stay tuned to find out.**


	4. Lets Be Lovers

Bridgette had resolved to avoid the popular kids as much as possible, but there was someone else whom she wanted to do anything but avoid. Much to her dismay, however, she had not seen Geoff at all that day and she was beginning to wonder if he was avoiding her. The more she thought about it, the more she realized she didn't really know how he felt about her. LeShawna had told her that Geoff was interested in her, but it occurred to Bridgette that she had only known LeShawna for a day and a half. For all she knew Geoff wasn't interested in her at all and LeShawna had only told her that as a joke. But even as she thought this Bridgette realized she was being irrational, LeShawna had no reason to play such a cruel joke on her, they had just met. Ultimately Bridgette conceded to the truth, the only way to find out how Geoff really felt was to ask him.

Unfortunately, talking to Geoff would prove more difficult than Bridgette anticipated. It seemed no one had seen him that day, though no one seemed too concerned by this. Apparently Geoff had a habit of disappearing from school, something he had been doing since kindergarten, Nikki later explained. Bridgette's quest was further complicated by her lack of Geoff's address and phone number. Looking up his parents in the phone book proved less than helpful when Bridgette realized she didn't know their names. Her new friends were proving to be less than helpful as well, as none of them knew exactly where Geoff went when he disappeared or how to contact him. Growing more frustrated by the day, Bridgette began to wonder if she would ever get her answers when, finally, a week later, Geoff returned.

Waiting until school was out to make her move, Bridgette finally confronted Geoff in the parking lot before he had a chance to disappear again. Geoff smiled as she approached, oblivious to the angry look on her face. "Heard you rejected Heather and her gang while I was away." he said casually. "I gotta say, that's pretty impressive. I can't remember the last time someone blew her off." He paused, waiting for her to respond, a smile still stretched across his face. When Bridgette made no response, he looked at her closer, his smile falling at the look on her face. "Something wrong babe?"

Bridgette glared at him, her rage thudding in her ears. "Where the hell have you been?" she demanded, looking him directly in the eye. "I've been trying to find you for a week."

"Whoa, okay, you need to chill out bra." Geoff said, taken aback by her anger. "You're acting a little crazy and it's starting to freak me out."

"Oh, it's freaking you out?" Bridgette asked. "I'm freaking you out? I've been freaking out for the last week trying to figure out where the hell you were, on my own, I might add, because none of your friends seemed to have the slightest damn clue where you were. Add on top of that the fact that your parents and this school just let you disappear for a week and I was beside myself with worry. So, where the hell were you?"

"Okay, first of all, it's none of your fucking business where I was." Geoff shouted, his emotions getting the better of him. "Second of all, you're acting like we're a couple, which we're not, so stop treating me like I'm a cheating boyfriend or something."

"Well, I guess that answers that question." Bridgette snapped, turning away from him.

"What question?" Geoff asked, his anger subsiding.

Bridgette turned back towards him, tears in her eyes. "I came over here to find out if you like me, but I guess you don't, so..." Her voice trailed off as turned away again.

"Wait, don't go." Geoff said, catching her by the arm and spinning her back towards him. "What made you think I might like you?"

Bridgette stared at him for a moment before answering. "LeShawna said she thought you looked interested and I thought I'd ask you to make sure."

Geoff laughed and held Bridgette out at arms length, staring into her eyes. "Well, she was right." he said. "I've loved you since the moment I laid eyes on you."

Bridgette stared at him for a moment, too shocked to speak, before reason returned to her. "Then why did you disappear for a week?" she asked, trying to keep her voice level.

Geoff hesitated, not sure how best to answer her question. He sighed and looked past her at something in the distance before speaking. "I haven't felt this way about someone in a long time." he finally answered, his voice barely a whisper. "The last time I was in a serious relationship it, well it didn't end the way I hoped, let's put it that way. After that I wasn't sure if could open myself up to someone again, but when I saw you the other day I started thinking maybe I could. I know it's probably kind of weird for you to hear a guy blabbering about his emotions like this, but I left because I needed time to figure things out, you know?"

Bridgette stared at him for a moment before speaking. "I know what you mean Geoff. I've had relationships that didn't work out too. And for the record, I kinda like sensitive guys who aren't afraid to show their emotions." She smiled and continued. "So, where do we go-" Her sentence died in her throat as Geoff pressed his lips against hers. For a moment Bridgette hesitated, not sure if she was ready for this, but then, without another thought she allowed the moment to pull her in. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, they broke apart, both of them smiling.

"Well, we should probably get going." Geoff said, after a moment of silence.

"Going?" Bridgette asked. "Going where?"

"The bowling alley." Geoff replied. "We always meet there after school. Didn't Nikki or Gwen tell you about that?"

Remembrance hit her like blow to the gut. "Oh shit! I told Nikki I would hang out there a week ago, but I still haven't done it. I was so wrapped up in adjusting to a new school and figuring out what happened to you that I completely forgot. I hope she's not pissed."

"Nah, she's not pissed." said Geoff, with a grin.

"How can you be sure?" Bridgette asked, anxiety rising in her chest.

"Nikki doesn't get pissed about this kind of stuff." Geoff replied. "Besides, she knows that you were trying to find me and all that, so don't worry about it." Bridgette nodded, reassured by his words. He grinned again. "Shall we go?"

"Yeah, it's been a while since I went bowling." said Bridgette, moving to unlock her car. They climbed inside and Bridgette started the engine. As they pulled out of the parking lot, she glanced at Geoff and smiled. It had been hard to get the answers from him, but now that she had, she knew she was making the right decision.

**A/N: Hey, I'm back! So, as with Endgame pt1, I must apologize for the wait on this as my computer was being an uncooperative bitch. But everything's working again so I should be back to updating every other day or so. **


	5. Bowl o Rama

Fifteen minutes later they arrived at the bowling ally, a relatively nondescript building that looked like it had once been a small grocery store. Large neon letters spelled out Bowl-o-Rama across the front of the building and Bridgette guessed that was the name of the ally. Her first impression of the place was less than optimistic and she was beginning to wish they hadn't come. She glanced at Geoff, who wore a smile of anticipation, and asked, "Is there any particular reason why you hang out here?"

Geoff looked at her, his expression questioning. "What do you mean?" he asked. "What's wrong with it?"

"I don't know." Bridgette replied, shrugging. "It just-it seems like one of those seedy joints where all the murders take place in one of those crappy B-rate horror movies, you know?"

Geoff looked at her a moment and then looked at the building. "You know, it kinda does." he agreed, after a moment of contemplation. "I never thought of that before." He glanced back at Bridgette, who looked slightly nervous. "Don't worry, it's actually a really nice place once you get inside." He smiled and Bridgette smiled back, her confidence returning. With that they made their way inside, Bridgette shocked by what she saw.

Geoff had been right, despite its decrepit exterior Bowl-o-Rama was actually quite nice inside. Bridgette had never seen so many lanes, the bowling ally in Point Stevens only had five, and she had never been to ally with more than ten. This place had twenty five, more than enough to accommodate bowling leagues and regular customers at all times. Bridgette smiled, delighted by the sheer effectiveness of the place. "You weren't lying when you said it was better inside." she said, turning to Geoff. "There's more lanes here than any bowling ally I've ever been to."

Geoff grinned. "That's not all they have either. There's an awesome arcade, great food, pool, and plenty of space to hang out. They're thinking about expanding actually, adding laser tag, paint ball, a mini golf course, things like that."

"It's the ultimate teen hang out spot, when you really think about it." said Bridgette as they made their way over to the others. "And it's a better hang out than the mall, because there's not as many people to annoy us."

"Geoff! Bridgette!" Owen shouted, spotting them. "Stop standing there jabbering like idiots and get over so we can bowl."

Geoff grinned and looked at Bridgette. "What size shoe do you ware?" he asked.

"Seven." Bridgette replied. Geoff nodded and went to get them shoes. Bridgette walked over to the others and smiled. Nikki glanced at her, her gaze questioning. Bridgette saw Nikki's question in her eyes and nodded, just a Geoff arrived with the shoes.

"Everyone got shoes?" he asked. They all nodded and Geoff grinned, handing Bridgette her shoes. "Alright, then let's get bowling!"

A short time later, after the first game of bowling was complete, Bridgette was pulled aside by Nikki, Gwen, and LeShawna who all looked overly excited. "So, we couldn't help but notice you arrived with Geoff." LeShawna said, before Bridgette could escape.

"And, what about it?" Bridgette asked, glancing at Nikki and Gwen before bringing her gaze to rest on LeShawna. "I thought you guys wanted me to ask him out?"

"Well, did you?" Nikki asked. "Or did you just happen to run into him and decide to give him a ride to the bowling ally?"

"Well, I didn't exactly ask him, not in the traditional way anyhow." Bridgette confessed.

"What the hell does that mean?" Gwen asked. "Did you seduce him or something? Are you a succubus?"

"No, I am not a succubus." Bridgette snapped. Gwen smirked, and Nikki and LeShawna laughed. Bridgette sighed. "We talked and...and, well, he kissed me. Does that satisfy your fantasies?"

"He kissed you?" the other three said in unison, all three of them taken aback by this development.

"Yes, he kissed me and I kissed him back." Bridgette confirmed. "Why is that such a big deal? Isn't that what you three wanted?"

"Well yes, but we didn't expect your relationship to heat up that quickly." said Gwen. "I mean, it's not really Geoff's style, you know? Usually he likes to take it slowly, but then again, it has been two years since he last had a girlfriend."

"Technically one kiss doesn't make us a couple, you know?" said Bridgette.

"How long was the kiss?" LeShawna asked

"I don't know for sure, it seemed like it lasted forever." Bridgette answered.

"Then you and Geoff are a couple." said LeShawna, with a smile. "You were already attracted to him and the length of the kiss suggests that both of you want to be together so logically you'll follow through with your feelings and begin dating. It's inevitable."

Bridgette opened her mouth to argue, but was stopped by the sudden heat that rushed through her as Geoff wrapped his arms around her. "What are you girls talking about?" he asked, his breath warm on Bridgette's neck.

"Nothing in particular." LeShawna replied, with an innocent smile. Behind her, Nikki and Gwen both fought the urge to laugh, arranging their faces into innocent smiles as well. Bridgette scowled, casting the three of them a glare that could melt icebergs.

Geoff glanced at her, his look confused, but didn't press the issue. "Well, you all gonna bowl some more?" he asked. "Owen and Izzy just left, so we could use a couple more people."

"Sure, I'll bowl another game." Bridgette responded, turning to head back over to their lanes. Geoff smiled and turned to follow her. The other three watched them go for a moment before following as well.

Bridgette grinned as the game got underway, glad to be doing something physical again. She hadn't done much in the way of real physical activity since the move, save for gym class and hauling boxes into the house, and it felt good to have her muscles working again. Back in Point Stevens she had been active every day, taking daily runs on the beach, lifting weights, and of course, surfing. But with all that had happened in recent days she had not had much time to keep up on her exercise. However, her relative lack of exercise in the last week or so did not seem to hinder her ability to bowl, as she threw three strikes in a row, much to Geoff's delight.

A short time later the game came to its end, with Bridgette claiming victory. As the group turned in their shoes and headed for the exit they were confronted by Nikki's former friend Jen and her gang. Nikki's ex-boyfriend Jonesy grinned at her, but Nikki ignored him. Jen, however looked her former friend in the eye and smiled.

"What do you want Jen?" Nikki asked, her glare piercing.

"Just wanted to introduce Bridgette to Courtney." Jen replied, her voice cold.

"And what makes you think Bridgette wants to meet that snobby bitch?" Nikki asked, her voice equally cold.

"I think Bridgette can speak for herself." said a brown haired girl, who was dressed like a business woman. She looked at Bridgette before continuing, "Hello Bridgette, I'm Courtney Smith, your class president. It's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too." Bridgette said, smiling, while Nikki and Gwen made looks of disgust, which Bridgette ignored.

"Is there anything else you want to talk about?" Nikki asked, before Courtney could say anything else.

"Not really." said Jen, turning to leave. She paused and turned back to them. "Oh, there is one other thing you should know, Coach Halder gets back tomorrow." She grinned and she, Courtney, and Jonesy left, Jonesy somewhat reluctantly.

"Oh shit, Coach Halder, I totally forgot about that guy." Jude moaned.

"Who's Coach Halder?" Bridgette asked, glancing at Nikki.

"He's the gym teacher, the real gym teacher." Nikki replied. "Those dicks who've been teaching us for the last week are just substitutes. Coach is the real deal. He's been on some sort of vacation and we've all been dreading the day he gets back. He's a real hard ass, and if you don't follow his orders it's not pleasant. Jen adores him, kisses his ass at any possible opportunity. That's why she's so excited. But for the rest of us his classes are hell, you'll see."

"I don't know, he doesn't sound that bad to me." Bridgette said as they made their way outside. "He sounds like a challenge, I like challenges. But you guys know him, so maybe you're right. One way or the other, tomorrow's going to be a fun day for me."

**A/N: And believe me, Coach Halder isn't going to be the only challenge Bridgette faces the next day. Also, for future reference, if you haven't seen 6Teen, Jen has an older sister named Courtney, whom I will not be mentioning in this story, to avoid confusion between her and TDI's Courtney.**


	6. The Three Kings

Bridgette had left Bowl-o-Rama feeling confident about the next day, but as it would turn out the following day would end up being one of the worst days of her life. It started with the weather and only got worse from there. Bridgette awoke to find a cold, wet storm had blown in overnight, soaking everything to the core. Bridgette was not a particularly huge fan of rainy days, as they usually meant no outdoor activities and she somehow found it ominous to think that she would be facing a new PE teacher today when class would be confined to the gym. Her feeling of unease only grew as she arrived at school, where she was greeted by a very grumpy looking man who was dressed like a janitor.

"Uh, hello?" Bridgette said uncertainly, with a small smile.

"Hello?" the man growled. "You come in here, dripping all over the floor and all you have to say is hello?"

"Well, um, it's-it's raining outside, so-" Bridgette began, her voice wavering.

"I can see that!" the man shouted. "You're new here, aren't you?" He fixed Bridgette with a cold, piercing stare that made her shiver. She nodded, wishing someone would show up and save her. The man smiled and continued. "Well, let me tell you how it works around here. If you come in here making a damn mess of things you're liable to get in trouble." His twisted smile grew larger at the terror in Bridgette's eyes.

"RON!" a voice shouted. The man turned and Bridgette let out a sigh of relief as Mr. McLean came walking towards them. "What are you doing Ron, little early in the year to be intimidating students, isn't it?"

Ron glared at Mr. McLean. "She came in dripping water all over and-" Ron began, but Mr. McLean interrupted him.

"Of course she's dripping all over Ron, it's raining like crazy out there." Mr. McLean said, with a smile. "You can't punish every student in the school just because of the weather."

Ron muttered something unintelligible and shuffled away, casting a dark look over his shoulder as he did. Mr. McLean smiled again and turned to Bridgette. "Don't mind Ron, he's just a little bitter because he flunked out of the police academy and got stuck working here as the janitor instead. He's actually not a bad guy in general."

Bridgette smiled, extremely grateful that Mr. McLean had come along. "Well we should probably get to class." she muttered.

Mr. McLean nodded and they set off for his classroom together. He glanced at Bridgette as they climbed the stairs, noticing the worry in her eyes. "Are you alright Bridgette? You look worried about something."

Bridgette hesitated, taken aback by Mr. McLean's concern. But, he had stopped Ron from giving her detention, so she decided she could trust him with this. "Well, yesterday, I was at Bowl-o-Rama and I overheard some of the other students talking about Coach Halder coming back and I was just kind of worried about meeting him cuz I heard he's a hard ass."

Mr. McLean smiled again and gave an understanding nod. "Jen Masterson's trying to punk out new students again, I see." Bridgette looked confused. "Don't worry Bridgette, Jen does this every year and since you're the only new student this year who's not a freshman she's bound to focus on you. Coach may seem like a hard ass, but he's actually a really nice guy, once you get to know him." He smiled again and held open the door to his classroom. Bridgette, who hadn't noticed they were already at the door, returned his smile and entered the room, making her way over to her seat at the back of the room with Nikki, Jude, and Gwen.

Two hours later, Bridgette entered the girl's locker room with Nikki, Gwen, LeShawna, and Izzy. Despite what Mr. McLean had told her she still felt a sense of unease about the impending class. She throughly wished gym was after lunch, as she was beginning to think she would pass out and was sure a bit of food would help. What greeted her in locker room did nothing to sooth her nerves.

"Hey, Wells." Heather shouted from across the room. "Heard you ran in to Ron this morning. Did you ask him out on a date, God knows he's probably your type." Lindsey and Caitlin giggled and Heather smiled.

"Fuck off Heather." Nikki snapped. "At least Bridgette doesn't fuck every guy she lays her eyes on."

Heather went red, but before she could retort the locker room door flew open and Jen walked in, a clipboard under one arm. "Everyone out on the court, now!" she barked, a look of smug superiority on her face. With a quick glare at her cousin, Nikki lead the way out onto the court to find the boys waiting for them.

"Okay, I've been given the task of role call, so everyone line up." Jen shouted, her excitement plainly visible to everyone in the room.

"Bet she's had wet dreams about this for years." Gwen muttered so that only Nikki and Bridgette could hear her. Both of them laughed and Jen shot them a scandalized look.

For the next several minutes Jen ran down the list of names on her clipboard, pausing when she reached Bridgette. Jen walked up to Bridgette and smiled. "Well Bridgette, are you ready for your first real gym class at this school?" she asked. Bridgette nodded, but said nothing. Jen's smile widened, but before she could speak a husky voice cut through the silence in the room.

"MASTERSON! Who's your new friend?" Jen turned, as did the rest of the class, to see a tall man with massive muscular arms and short, spiky blond hair walking towards them. He was waring a striped referees shirt and sweat pants, and looked liked her hadn't smiled in years.

"Coach Halder!" Jen said, her eyes alight with obvious reverence. "This is Bridgette Wells. She transferred from Point Stevens earlier this year."

Coach Halder looked at Bridgette, his gaze stern. "Point Stevens huh?" he said. "Been there a few times in my life, good surfing. You play any sports Wells?"

"Uh, mainly surfing, but I played a bit of soccer and volleyball back in Point Stevens." Bridgette replied, hoping this was good enough.

Coach Halder said nothing, but nodded approvingly before turning to the rest of the class. "Alright, we were going to go outside for some soccer today but since it's raining we'll be staying inside and playing badminton instead."

Jude and Jonesy both groaned and Gwen made a retching noise. Coach Halder ignored them.

The rest of the class was not nearly as bad as Bridgette had thought it would be. She teamed with Geoff and the two of them won three of the four matches they played before Coach blew his whistle signaling the end of class. As she headed for the locker room, Bridgette had to admit that Coach Halder was not nearly as bad as everyone had made him out to be.

However, as she left the gym for lunch she saw something that made her opinion of gym teacher change instantly. Coach Halder was yelling at two girls, both of whom looked close to tears. Bridgette recognized them as the girls she and Geoff had beat in their first two badminton matches. She paused, trying to catch what Coach was saying, though it was difficult due to the fact that, as loud as he was yelling, Coach Halder was nearly drowned out by the sound of student heading to the cafeteria. Straining her ears, Bridgette managed to catch a bit of his rant however.

"...two of the laziest, most untalented blobs of flesh I have ever had the displeasure of knowing." he was screaming. "I swear to God if you two don't start trying I will fail you!"

Bridgette had never heard a teacher speak to students like that before in her life and before she knew what she was doing she found herself in Coach Halder's face, anger coursing through her like poison. "You need to shut up!" she shouted. "I don't know know what they did to piss you off but teachers should never treat students like that."

For a moment she thought Coach Halder might scream at her to, but he fixed her with the same deadly stare Ron had given her that morning. "Watch yourself Wells." he growled. "If you go shouting at teachers to often you may find yourself in a very sticky situation indeed."

Bridgette opened her mouth to respond, but Nikki grabbed her by the arm and pulled her towards the cafeteria. "Are you fucking nuts?" she breathed, staring at Bridgette in awe. "Nobody talks to Coach Halder like that, not even the principal."

"But-but, he was being so mean to those girls." Bridgette protested. "Doesn't anyone in this school do anything about that?"

"Well no, not really." said Gwen. "But that's just the point. Coach holds a lot of power around here and so does Ron, so don't go doing stupid shit around them. They mean it when they threaten you with punishment."

"Oh, and don't going pissing off Chef Hatchet either." said Jude, with a knowing nod at the huge black man behind the cafeteria counter. "He was in the military and he's the meanest dude of them all."

"Why is everyone so scared of them though?" Bridgette asked.

"Cuz, like Gwen said, they hold a lot of power around here and they've been here the longest." said Geoff. "They call themselves the Three Kings, even the other teachers call them that and they act like they really are kings."

Bridgette looked at Chef, who was now speaking to Ron. Both of them looked over at her and laughed. Trying her best to avoid their eyes, Bridgette got her lunch and took her seat, wishing she was back in Point Stevens where school employees were never this cruel.

**A/N: Okay, two points of interest for this chapter. One, Jen was one of "those dicks" teaching gym that Nikki mentioned in the previous chapter. She's in the same year as the others but she's Coach's favorite teachers aid, so she gets to boss even her own class around. Also, just so you know, the two girls Coach was yelling at were Katie and Sadie.**


	7. When a Surfer Meets a Punk

Much to Bridgette's relief, the rest of the day passed without any more problems, but she still felt horrible as she got into bed that night. She had never been one to back down from a challenge, but as sleep took her, she had a powerful desire to return to Point Stevens and never return to this place. Never before had she had so many enemies. Sure there had been a few assholes in Point Stevens, but Bridgette had known who they were and how to deal with them. Here it seemed like there was an asshole hiding around every corner, just waiting to torture her. Between Heather and her gang, Jen and Courtney, and the Three Kings, Bridgette was beginning to wonder if she would make through the first semester, let alone the entire school year. At least she had Geoff, Nikki, Gwen, Jude and the rest of their crowd watching her back. Apparently Mr. McLean had her back too, though she wasn't sure if she was comfortable with this or not. He seemed like a nice guy, but Bridgette couldn't help feeling that there was something wrong about a teacher being so attached to a student. On the other hand, Nikki and Gwen got along with him just fine, so maybe she just being paranoid.

As far as her enemies, Bridgette may have been concerned about them, but she was sure she could come up with a way to avoid Heather, Jen, and Courtney. It was the Three Kings who worried her. How was she supposed to deal with them if held as much power as Geoff said they did? Perhaps the Kings didn't wield as much power as she had been led to believe. Surely there was someone in the school who could control them. Geoff had said even the principal was afraid of them, but that couldn't be true, could it? Was there a chance the Kings actually did run the school? _No, that can't be right._ Bridgette thought. A public school like this one would never allow a janitor, a chef, and a PE teacher to terrorize the students and staff. It was a joke, that was all. Geoff and the others had just been pulling her leg, initiating her into the group in their own strange way. The Kings were just school employees who thought they had more power than they actually did. Bridgette's mind eased as she sank into these realizations. However, by the end of the week she would find out just how wrong she was.

The next day, Bridgette arrived at school to find Geoff waiting by her locker, a sly smile on his face. "Hey babe." he said as Bridgette approached.

"Hey yourself." Bridgette said, grinning. She reached up and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, pulling him down into a kiss. Taken by surprise, Geoff choked on the gum he was chewing, and quickly swallowed it. Bridgette didn't seem to notice this, as she was to busy trying to make her and Geoff's lips meld into one.

"Oh God, can't you two get a room, no one wants to see you sucking face." a voice called, accompanied by a gale of laughter. Bridgette and Geoff broke apart and Bridgette spun to see Heather and her gang standing a few feet down the hall. "Look here everyone." Heather called. "It seems Geoff has developed a liking for fish girls."

The hallway exploded with laughter, as Bridgette flushed. Geoff simply looked dumbfounded, as though he were still savoring the kiss. Heather walked up to them, her gang following her. She smiled at Geoff and leaned in so only Geoff and Bridgette could hear her. "Cuz that's what she tastes like, isn't it Geoff, a fish? Coming from some disgusting coastal town she has to taste like a fish, right? Or seagull shit."

"Yeah, and Alejandro tastes like sunshine and daisies, does he?" Nikki's voice asked, cutting through the silence like a knife. Bridgette gasped, stifling a laugh. She hadn't even realized that Nikki had arrived on scene, but she wasn't all that surprised as Nikki never missed an opportunity to fling shit back at her cousin.

Heather took a step back from Geoff and Bridgette glaring at Nikki. "What would you know about it?" she snapped. "You've never kissed anyone in your life, cuz no one wants to kiss a troll." She smiled, as her gang giggled yet again.

"I've kissed plenty of guys and you know that." Nikki snarled. "Oh, and Heather, don't pretend you don't like Point Stevens, I hear you shacked up with a male prostitute when you were there for spring break last year." She grinned, and turned to leave, Bridgett and Geoff following her, leaving Heather with a horrified expression on her face.

"Did Heather really have sex with a male prostitute?" Bridgette asked, once they were out of earshot.

"Who knows." Nikki said with a grin. "I just said that to shut her up, though given what I know about my cousin, I wouldn't be surprised."

"That's disgusting." said Jude, who had joined them, along with Gwen, LeShawna, Trent, Owen, and Izzy. "I mean, I'm all for free love and whatever, but there's got to be a limit dude. Some things are just not meant to be fucked, you know?"

"Yeah, well Heather doesn't seem to understand that." said Nikki, with a shrug. "Anyway, where's Starr?"

"She and Wyatt are both sick." Trent answered, beating Jude to the punch. "They both caught that nasty bug that's going around right now, so we're not gonna see them for a few days."

"I hope they're better by Saturday, cuz my parents are out of town and I was thinking about throwing a party this weekend." said Owen.

"Hey that sounds great dude." said Geoff. "Bridge, you wanna come to a party this weekend?" He turned to look at Bridgette, who wasn't paying attention. "Bridge, you listening?"

"Huh, what?" Bridgette asked looking back at Geoff.

"I asked if you want to come to a party this weekend?" Geoff said, concern in his eyes.

"Yeah, sure, I guess." Bridgette replied, still distracted.

"Bridgette, are you okay?" Gwen asked, noticing her confusion.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Let's get to class." Bridgette said, heading towards the stairs. Gwen shrugged and she and Geoff set off after Bridgette, still unsure what they had just witnessed. Ahead of them, Bridgette was deep in thought. She had thought she had seen a tall boy with a green mowhawk staring at her while Owen had been talking about parties, but when she had looked again, the boy had disappeared. The look he had had on his face had been terrifying, like he was an incarnation of death, sent to bring her to the underworld.

Bridgette found it hard to concentrate in class that day, as the vision of the boy with the mowhawk kept haunting her. She had never seen him before, though that was not entirely surprising given that she was still new to the school. But no one else had seemed to notice him either, and it was this that was troubling her. She wanted to ask the others if they knew who he was, but was afraid to, mainly due to the fact that she had no idea if the boy was real. If he was not real, than the others would have no idea what Bridgette was talking about and would probably think she was crazy. The more she thought about it, the more Bridgette became convinced she had simply imagined the boy, for she did not see him again that day, at least not at the school.

After school the gang headed to Bowl-o-Rama, Bridgette now fully convinced the boy was not real. Still, the look on his face seemed to be permanently fixed to the back of her eyelids, for every time she closed her eyes, she saw him. For their part, the others, particularly Geoff and Gwen, were keenly aware of how distracted Bridgette had become since that morning. Bridgette, however, seemed unaware of her friends concern.

Still, Geoff was not about to let Bridgette go home without figuring out what was wrong with her. "Bridge, it's your turn babe." he said, handing her a ball. They had been at Bowl-o-Rama for an hour and Bridgette had barely bowled. She looked at him and blinked, as if she were coming out of a daze. For a moment she simply stared at him, before taking the ball and stepping up to the lane. Geoff waited until Bridgette had completed her turn before pulling her aside.

"Bridgette, are you sure you're okay?" he asked, his eyes full of concern.

"Of course I'm okay, why wouldn't I be?" Bridgette replied, not meeting Geoff's gaze.

"Well, it's just you've been really distracted since this morning and I just want to make sure nothing's bothering you." Geoff said.

"No, nothing's bothering me." Bridgette replied. "Everything is completely norm-" She broke of with a horrified gasp, her whole body going rigid. He was there, the boy with the mowhawk, standing in the far corner of the room. He wore the same terrifying look he had that morning, like he was look straight into her soul. After a second, he smiled a crooked smile and then vanished before Bridgette could get a better look.

Bridgette looked back at Geoff, aware that he was staring at her with a mixture of concern and fear. She blinked, trying to clear her mind of the image of the boy. "I-um, I'm gonna go okay?" she said glancing at the others, who were all staring at her and Geoff with a mixture of concern and intense interest.

Geoff seemed to still be processing Bridgette's words and when he spoke, it was barely above a whisper. "Uh, okay, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"Yeah, see you tomorrow." Bridgette answered, with a nervous glance at her boyfriend. Without another word she turned and headed for the door. Geoff watched her go with a dumbfounded expression on his face, as though he were still trying to figure out what had just happened.

That night, Bridgette's dreams were plagued by images of the boy turning into a monster, attacking her at school and sudden endings that always brought her gasping back to consciousness. By the next morning, Bridgette was convinced something was wrong with her, though she could not figure out what. Who was this boy and why was he stalking her? Was he a criminal, intent on doing her harm? Or was he some sort sign, a warning perhaps, that she was in danger? In danger from who, though? As far as Bridgette could see the only thing she was in danger from was losing her sanity. The answers seemed to be beyond her reach and Bridgette could not spend every day trying to find them. With a frustrated sigh she got ready and headed to school, where she was greeted by Nikki, Gwen, and LeShawna.

"Damn girl, you look like hell." LeShawna said as Bridgette approached them.

"Yeah, I didn't get a whole lot of sleep last night." Bridgette muttered.

"Speaking of yesterday, what fuck happened to you at Bowl-o-Rama?" Nikki asked, giving Bridgette a stern glance. "You left Geoff in such a confused state that he just stood there for, like, twenty minutes. He thinks you're mad at him."

"No, I'm not mad at him, it's just-" Bridgette paused, unsure if she wanted to tell them the real reason she had left the ally.

"It's just what?" Gwen asked, her gaze as stern as Nikki's.

Deciding it was better to tell them, Bridgette sighed and told them about the green mowhawked boy and how he seemed to be stalking her. When she finished, the other three stared at her for a moment before bursting into laughter.

"What the fuck is so funny?" Bridgette demanded, glaring at the other three. None of them replied, only pissing Bridgette off more. "See, this is why I didn't want to tell you. I knew you'd laugh and think I was crazy."

"Oh calm down Bridge." Nikki said, struggling to keep her face straight. "We're not laughing at you. It's just, you've gotten yourself worked up about nothing, that's all."

"So this boy is real then?" Bridgette asked, a hint of agitation still in her voice. Nikki nodded. "And you know who he is?" Bridgette pressed.

"Yeah, that boy is Duncan Reynolds." said Gwen, with a grin.

"Why have I never seen him before?" Bridgette asked.

"Cuz he just got released from juvi a few days ago." said Nikki. "Duncan is a punk, and he lives by his own rules. He's been to juvi four times and he doesn't really like school. He still shows up sometimes though, cuz he's tight with the Kings."

"Great, he's friends with those three lunatics." Bridgette muttered. "That's just what I need, another enemy at this school."

"Relax Bridgette, I doubt Duncan is stalking you because the Kings asked him to." said Gwen. "He may be their friend but he's not their lap dog."

Bridgette smiled, appreciating Gwen's words, but she was not convinced. As they headed off to class, she decided the next time she saw Duncan, she would confront him. It was the only way to get the truth from him and Bridgette had to know.

Later that day, she got her chance. She was walking alone towards her locker when she spotted Duncan walking in the opposite direction. Forgetting about her locker, she hurried up to him, intent on getting some answers. Duncan didn't seem to notice her and continued to walk as if she weren't there.

"Why are you stalking me?" Bridgette demanded, glaring at Duncan. He continued to ignore her, and Bridgette felt her temper rise. "Hey, I'm talking to you, you asshole!" she shouted. "Why the hell are you stalking me?" Still Duncan ignored her, so Bridgette hit him with her backpack.

At this, Duncan spun, grabbing her by the shoulder and slamming her into the wall. "I am not fucking stalking you." he growled, his eyes burning.

"Then why do you keep showing up where ever I happen to be?" Bridgette asked, putting as much venom into her voice as she could muster. "Cuz, that's my definition of a stalker."

Duncan looked like he wanted to hit her, but instead he took a steading breath before answering. "I'm not stalking you, I'm simply observing you." he said, as calmly as he could.

"Observing me?" Bridgette asked. "Observing me for who?"

"The Three Kings." Duncan reluctantly answered. "I have no idea why though. And it doesn't matter anyway, so don't worry your pretty little head about it, okay?" There was something about the way he looked at her when he spoke that made Bridgette feel comforted and stopped her from responding. By the time she had thought of a response Duncan was gone. For a moment she stood in a daze, a quote she had read once suddenly popping into her head, _Sparks are sure to fly when a surfer meets a punk_. And then, just as quickly, she pushed the thought away, a flood of horror washing over her as she realized what the quote meant.

**A/N: Okay, so I know it's been awhile since I last updated and I'm sorry for that. I was having major writers block on this fic, but I think I'm over it now. Also, I know this chapter seems kinda weird but it'll all make sense eventually. As far as the quote, I just made that up and I'll explain more later, both about the quote and Duncan's real reasons for stalking Bridgette.**


	8. The Weekend Party

Bridgette's mind was hyperactive again that night, the events of the day creating a whole new set of questions for her to ponder. Chief among them was what was she going to do about Duncan? It was obvious to her that some kind of feeling had passed between them in the hall, but she was determined to ignore it. She couldn't be with Duncan in any capacity because she was already with Geoff, and in any case the idea of being in a relationship with Duncan was rather unpleasant. But Bridgette could not deny the sense comfort she had felt when she had looked into Duncan's eyes in the hallway. It was the sort of comfort that, in Bridgette's experience, one only feels when one is in the presence of one's greatest love, which only made Bridgette more confused as she didn't even know Duncan so how could he be her true love? However, there was still the quote to consider, _Sparks are sure to fly when a surfer meets a punk_. The quote had been haunting her since it had first popped into her head, and it hadn't been until she had gotten home that she remembered where it was from.

The quote was from a book Bridgette had read in seventh grade, a book she owned a copy of in fact. The book was titled _The Jade Glass_ and told the story of a young Hawaiian girl who falls in love with a street thug and betrays all she has ever known. The thug is known simply as the Punk for most of the story and the girl is a surfer, making the story eerily similar to Bridgette's current situation, though the story lacks another love interest. Back in seventh grade _The Jade Glass_ had been Bridgette's favorite story, but now, as she realized the similarities between the story and real life, it had become all too real and all too creepy. But it couldn't be real, could it? Bridgette knew this notion was absurd, she was not the young girl and Duncan was not the Punk. It was only a story and she had just met Duncan, there was no guarantee they would even see each other again. But even as Bridgette thought this, another wave of uncertainty washed over her, as her meeting with Duncan had been almost identical to the way the girl and the Punk had met in the story. No, Bridgette told herself, that was just coincidence, there was absolutely no way she would ever be with Duncan and that was that. She could not continue to dwell on these things, not when she had a party at Owen's to look forward to, not to mention classes and a growing relationship with Geoff to keep her occupied. Add on top of that her intense desire to avoid Heather's gang and the Kings and Bridgette had so much to think about that she was convinced her issues with Duncan would just go away with time.

The next day Bridgette arrived at school to find the place in a heightened state of excitement. It seemed everyone had heard about the party Owen was throwing, as this was the main topic of conversation no matter where Bridgette went. People Bridgette had never met were just as excited as her main group of friends and she wondered if all of these people had been invited.

"Well Owen's certainly got this place in an uproar this time." a familiar voice said, drawing Bridgette's attention. She turned to find Geoff smiling at her, Nikki and Gwen on either side of him.

"This time?" Bridgette asked, cocking an eyebrow. "How often does Owen throw parties?"

"Oh, you know, every month or two, usually." Nikki said, with a grin. "It's actually been awhile since the last one, like four months or something, I'm not sure."

"Three months, one week, two days and twelve hours, to be exact." said Izzy, as she, Owen, and LeShawna joined them.

"How do you know all that?" Bridgette asked, both amazed and impressed.

"She has an IQ of 188." said Gwen. "There is literally nothing Izzy forgets, except maybe her sanity." Izzy shot her a dark look, though everyone else chuckled at Gwen's joke.

"So, did you invite the entire student body?" Bridgette asked, turning to Owen.

"Hell no!" Owen exclaimed. "I only invite people I can trust to my parties, but, seeing as this is high school, these things have a way of getting around. But usually I try not to invite freshmen, and I certainly never extend the invitation to the Bitch Queen and her posse of idiots."

"They do always seem to find a way in though." Nikki muttered, her voice thick with bitterness and repressed rage.

"Yeah, well Jude and I think we've got that base covered this time." Owen said, with a knowing glance at Izzy, who smirked. This exchange did not go unnoticed by the others, but none of them asked, deciding to wait and see what Owen and Jude had planned.

"Speaking of Jude, where is he?" Geoff asked, looking at Owen.

"I don't know, actually." Owen answered. "He was supposed to meet me this morning for some last minute plans, but he never showed. He's probably still at home, partying early cuz he thinks it's tomorrow already."

Geoff shrugged. "Yeah, you're probably right. Anyway we should get to class, bells about to ring."

By the next night, Bridgette's level of excitement had reached a fever pitch. She had never really been the partying type, but there was something about this particular event that made her wild side surface like never before. She had gone to a couple of parties in Point Stevens but they had been nothing spectacular, mainly just a bunch of teens getting drunk and having sex. But from what the others had told her, Bridgette was sure this party would be different. Owen, it seemed, was a party master, and always seemed to have some new exciting event planned. Add to that the rumors that Jude had gotten local pop/punk band The Gangbusters, who were fronted by Geoff's older brother, to play at the party and Bridgette's certainty that this was going to be a fun night was absolute.

At seven that night Geoff arrived to pick Bridgette up and they arrived at Owen's place a few minutes later to find the place already packed. "Bridgette! Geoff! Welcome to the party!" Owen's voice boomed, as they made their way to the back yard.

"Owen, dude! You've outdone yourself bro." said Geoff, with a smile. Geoff's assessment seemed to be correct, judging by the looks on people's faces. The spacious back yard of Owen's place was brightly illuminated by countless strings of lights which were strung from polls, trees and the large wooden fence. Large cases of soda and beer were stacked around the yard and a large table near the doors to the kitchen held several large punch bowls and assorted snacks. In one corner of the yard sat a large hot tub, which was clearly being used at one of these parties for the first time, judging by how many people were trying to fit inside it. And in the middle of the lawn was a makeshift stage, stacked high with amps and a beautiful drum kit.

"So the rumors are true, The Gangbusters are gonna be here tonight." Geoff said, with an impressed glance at Owen.

"Yup. I still don't know how Jude talked them into it, but they're gonna be here dude." said Owen. "They should arrive around eight thirty or so, is what Jude said, anyway."

"Yeah, well you know Scott, he's not always the most punctual person." Geoff said, rolling his eyes. "That's probably why he agreed to play here tonight. The last three gigs the Busters had got canceled cuz Scott's an idiot and didn't show up on time."

"Scott is Geoff's brother, by the way." Owen said, glancing at Bridgette.

"Yeah, I know." Bridgette said, with an appreciative smile, though Owen didn't seem to be paying attention.

"Well, shall we go get some snacks?" Geoff asked, taking Bridgette's hand. She nodded and they made their way over to the snack table where Nikki, Gwen, LeShawna, Izzy, Jude, Trent, Wyatt, Marlowe, and Starr were gathered.

"There you guys are." Nikki said, as Bridgette and Geoff approached. "What took you so long to get here?"

"We're here right on time Nik." said Geoff. "You just got here early."

"Whatever." Nikki muttered. "Did you hear the Gangbusters are playing tonight?"

"Yeah, we heard." Geoff replied, stating at the ground as if the knowledge that his brother's band was playing was unpleasant.

"Something wrong?" Bridgette asked, glancing from Geoff to Nikki.

"Geoff and Scott don't have the best of relationships." Nikki said, with a quick glance around the group.

"Why not? Did something happen?" Bridgette asked, reaching for a cup of punch with a quick glance at Geoff.

"Yeah, something happened." Geoff muttered. "Scott kicked me out of our band, that's what fucking happened."

"Your band?" Bridgette asked, with a confused glance at the others.

"Geoff and Scott formed the Gangbusters together, back when Scott was still in school." LeShawna explained. "We were freshmen at the time and Scott was a senior. Geoff was ecstatic to be playing with his brother. They were the the best band to come out of our school in years and everyone thought they would be together forever, but Scott didn't see it that way. He kicked Geoff out after he and the other members of the band graduated. It didn't help that Geoff was dating their drummer, Alyssa, at the time and now she's with Scott. Basically, Geoff doesn't like the fact that he lost his dreams and his girl to his brother, and yet the rest of us still like the band."

"Yeah, well you're my friends not his." Geoff snapped. "I don't give a shit if he's a great singer or not, he's still a piece of shit and I don't understand why you guys can't see that."

"Sorry dude, your brotherly disputes don't change the fact that the Gangbusters are a fucking sick band." said Trent.

Bridgette could sense a fight coming and moved quickly to diffuse the situation. Personally she agreed with Geoff, the others were his friends and should remain loyal to him. But on the other hand, they were free to make their own choices and Geoff shouldn't hate them just for liking a band, no matter how that band had treated him in the past.

"Okay, it doesn't matter who likes the band and who doesn't." Bridgette said, looking at the others intently. "We're here to have fun, not to fight, so everyone just let it go for now and you can figure it out later."

"Well said Bridgette." said Owen, as he finally joined his friends. "Look, Geoff, I know you've got problems with Scott and Alyssa but you gotta let it go dude. The Gangbusters are one of the most popular bands in town and you know I've been trying to get them to play one of my parties for over two years. Please, just let it go, at least for tonight and have some fun."

"Alright." Geoff said, with a sigh. "I'll let it go for tonight. But tomorrow I'm going back to hating the bastard."

"Fair enough." said Owen, with a glance at Bridgette, who nodded, understanding what Owen wanted her to do at some point in the future.

At that moment Owen's phone rang and he took off towards the front yard. Bridgette and Geoff headed inside, where more people were gathered in small groups talking or playing video games on the three systems hooked up to massive flat-screen TVs. "So, how do you think Owen got all the beer?" Bridgette asked, once they had found a place to sit.

"He probably payed Wyatt's brother or someone like that to buy it." Geoff answered. "Or he payed Scott, my brother is a bit of an alcoholic."

"You don't really hate him, do you?" Bridgette asked. "Your brother, I mean."

"No, I don't really hate him, I just feeling kicking his ass sometimes." said Geoff. "It really did piss me off when he kicked me out of the band but-"

His sentence was cut short by a loud roar from out in the yard and then came Nikki's voice calling their names "Bridgette, Geoff, get the fuck out here, the Gangbusters have arrived."

Geoff sighed and they headed back outside to find the stage lit up like a Christmas tree. And standing on the stage were four people who were obviously the Gangbusters. The man at the front of the stage was obviously Scott Martin, judging by how similar his appearance was to Geoff's. The only major differences in Scott and Geoff's appearance was Scott's longer hair and the massive star tattoo that decorated his chest. The woman on the drums, Alyssa, was beautiful, with medium length red hair and green eyes. To Scott's right was a tall man with a large beard and dreadlocks on guitar. And to Scott's left, on bass, was...

"Oh shit, Duncan." Bridgette breathed, nearly spilling her drink in surprise. What was Duncan doing playing bass for the Gangbusters? Was this Scott's way of letting her know he knew about her and Geoff? Or was this Duncan's way of letting her know he wasn't going away? As these questions chased each other through Bridgette's mind she was struck by a sudden urge to run, but she couldn't do that to Geoff, she couldn't just leave him there without some sort of explanation. But how to tell without making a scene and sounding like a complete nut job?

"Uh, Bridgette, you okay girl?" LeShawna asked, noticing the sudden change in Bridgette's manner. "You look really pale."

"I...I'm fine." Bridgette replied, with a quick glance at the stage.

At that moment however, Geoff also noticed something was wrong but the rest of the party goers weren't paying attention, as the band had begun to play. Pulling Bridgette aside, Geoff looked at her with concern, his eyes searching her face for some sign of what was bothering her. "Bridge, what's wrong?" he asked. "This is, like, the fourth time in as many days that you've gone all freaky on us and I'm worried something is wrong with you."

Bridgette stared at him a moment before answering. "Alright, I'll tell you what's going on." she said, her voice strained. "Duncan is stalking me as a favor for the Kings, but I think there's more to it than that and I'm afraid to find out what that means."

For a moment Geoff simply stared at her and then, forgetting they were at a party and everyone could see, he turned and ran towards the stage, launching himself at Duncan with a snarl.

"Geoff, NO! Bridgette shouted, noticing a moment too late what he was doing. Geoff slammed into Duncan, knocking him backwards off the stage, his fist connecting with Duncan's face more than once. Taken by surprise, Duncan was unable to defend himself, although this didn't matter as Owen heaved Geoff off him before the fight could progress any further. The entire crowd was staring at them like they had never seen a fight before and a quick rush of hushed chatter ran through the crowd before everyone fell silent.

"Geoff, what the fuck dude?" Scott shouted, glaring at his little brother while Owen restrained him. "Why are you attacking my bassist?"

"Why the hell is he even in your band anyway?" Geoff shot back, without bothering to answer Scott's questions. "And if you must know-actually it's none of your fucking business, so fuck off, you bastard."

Scott moved like he was going to hit his brother but Owen stepped in the way. "Back off Scott." he said, the look in his eyes deadly serious. "You may be Geoff's brother, but he's my friend, and this is my party and if you start anything I will kick your ass."

Scott looked like he wanted to say something else, but bit back his retort at a glance from Alyssa. Owen turned to the crowd and said, "Sorry about that folks, but you know how these things are. Anyway, I hate to do it, but I'm gonna have to bring this thing to a close, in the interest of not starting anymore fights that could destroy my parents yard."

There were groans from the crowd, but most people left without issue. The Gangbusters packed up their gear and were gone before Owen could apologize. Duncan also disappeared, though Bridgette was certain he hadn't gone far. She and Geoff, along with Jude, Nikki, Gwen, Trent, Izzy, and Starr stayed to help Owen clean up. As they bagged trash and dismembered the stage Bridgette could help feeling a sense of disappointment. Her earlier hopes had been dashed, this party had ended up being like all the others.

**A/N: So yeah, sorry about the wait folks. I got distracted by other things and just couldn't find the time to work on this. But I'm back, so no worries. A few things to point out, one I'm pretty sure Geoff does actually have a brother as mentions something about that in an episode of TDI. Also, I totally made up the stuff about the book where that quote is from, and if you're wondering if there's gonna be a romance between Bridgette and Duncan, well just wait and see. Also, I just pulled the name the Gangbusters out of my ass, no idea where that came from. Finally, sorry there wasn't much in the way of actual partying, I just didn't know quite how to write it.**


	9. The Invitation

By Monday Geoff had returned to his usual laid back self, though Bridgette was sure he had not completely let go of his anger from the party. Still, she was glad to see that he was at least trying to put the confrontation behind him. For her part, Bridgette had gotten over her disappointment about the party relatively quickly, though this was due more to the fact that she had more important things to worry about than anything else. Chief among her worries was why Duncan had been playing bass for the Gangbusters. Had he been there because the band had actually needed a bassist or had he been there simply to keep an eye on her? And if that were the case why hadn't she seen him before the Gangbusters had taken the stage? As usual, Bridgette had no answers to her own questions, and she was still uncomfortable with the thought of going to the others for answers. In any case, Bridgette would not be distracted by Duncan for much longer, as another, stranger event would grab her attention and dominate her thoughts for the rest of the week.

Bridgette arrived at school to find an apologetic Owen trying to explain to a group of students why he had cut the party short. "I'm sorry okay, but I can't risk my parents yard being destroyed and I could see the way things were going." he was saying, as Bridgette walked up. Spotting her Owen shouted, "Bridgette, help me explain to these idiots why I had to ruin their night."

"Sorry Owen, that's all on you." Bridgette said, with a sympathetic smile. She knew what it felt like to have to explain why something didn't work out. She'd done that more than once back in Point Stevens when surfing was shut down because of weather and she'd had to send angry tourists back to their hotels. She spotted Geoff, Gwen, and Nikki, who were watching Owen with a great deal of amusement, and made her way over to them.

"Hey, Bridge." Nikki said, with a grin. "Come to watch the riot?"

Bridgette glanced back at Owen and chuckled. "He certainly seems to have dug himself into a hole, doesn't he?"

"This is nothing." said Geoff. "You should have seen how pissed everyone was when he had to cancel a party because he got sick. Fucking mob nearly ate him alive."

"People really take Owen's parties serious, don't they?" Bridgette asked.

"Well, you were there on Saturday, you saw how much planning Owen puts in to them." Geoff said. "But yeah, people do take his parties a little too seriously sometimes."

"Don't you think we should help him?" Bridgette asked, glancing at Owen again.

"Hey, you're the one who said he's on his own." said Gwen. "But yeah, we probably should help him before this attracts the attention of the Kings."

However, just as they moved to help the bell rang and the crowd dispersed. "Thanks for the help, you assholes." Owen snapped, glaring at the others.

"Yeah, yeah. Save it for our trial, you big dumbass." Gwen muttered. "Let's get going before Ron comes snooping around." With that, they set off for class, Bridgette, Nikki, and Gwen heading for Mr. McLean's room and Geoff and Owen heading off to biology.

An hour later the bell rang again and Mr. McLean dismissed the class. Bridgett, Nikki, Gwen, and Jude packed up their things along with the rest of the class and were halfway to the door when Mr. McLean called them back. "Could I have a word with the four of you?" he asked, his expression serious.

The four of them glanced at one another before Jude asked, "What about, dude?" Bridgette flinched at Jude's words, she was still not used to being as casual with teachers as her friends seemed to be with Mr. McLean.

"I just want to see how you all are doing." Mr. McLean said, his expression softening. "After all you guys are my favorite students."

"We are?" Bridgette asked, taken aback by Mr. McLean's response. "What about Geoff, and Owen, and LeShawna, and Izzy, and-" She stopped, seeing the glint in Mr. McLean's eye and the grins on the other's faces.

"Oh, I like them all just fine Bridgette, let me assure you." Mr. McLean said, with a smile. "But, there are different reasons why I like students and you, Nikki, Gwen, and Jude have shown a particularly strong interest in what I teach, so that makes you special."

There was a brief pause following this statement, in which Bridgette exchanged an uncomfortable look with Gwen before Mr. McLean spoke again. "May I speak with Bridgette alone for a moment?" he asked.

The other three looked at Bridgette, who nodded. "Go ahead, I'll catch up with later." she said, with a quick glance at the door. The other three nodded in agreement and left, leaving Bridgette alone with the one authority figure in the school she liked, though she was beginning to reevaluate her feelings about him.

Mr. McLean fixed her with a piercing stare and seemed for a moment to be studying her, as if she were some sort of experiment. And then he spoke. "I've noticed you've seemed sort of distracted lately Bridgette." he said. "Is there anything that's bothering you?"

"No." Bridgette replied. _Except for the fact that you're being more personal than you should be, you creep._

"Oh, well I just thought you might be having some problems with Duncan Reynolds and would like an explanation as to why he is the way he is." Mr. McLean said, his face expressionless.

Bridgette froze. How the hell did Mr. McLean know about Duncan stalking her? Even more shocking, what did Mr. McLean know about Duncan that he could offer Bridgette answers? Something wasn't adding up, but Bridgette decided she would risk this being some sort of trap, as the prize was far too tempting to refuse.

Mr. McLean seemed to notice this for he said, "Why don't you come by my office on Friday and we can have a little chat, try and get this thing figured out so you won't be distracted any more. I hate seeing smart students, such as yourself, fail because of outside distractions."

"Alright, that sounds good." Bridgette said, hating the idea already. "What time should I come by on Friday?"

"Lunch time usually works best for me." Mr. McLean said.

Bridgette nodded and left the room, intent on finding Nikki and Gwen. Her head was spinning with questions, to the point where she wondered how she would get through the week without distractions. Her feelings about Mr. McLean had changed dramatically during their little conversation and she was quite certain she didn't want to be alone with him again. But she needed answers about Duncan and Mr. McLean was as good a person as anyone to give her those answers. Besides, her new feelings about her teacher could turn out to be nothing. She could have read his signs completely wrong and he could actually be doing this just to help her out. Somehow Bridgette felt that wasn't the case, but she hoped it was, because the alternative was more horrifying than she could imagine.

**A/N: Hey, hey! I'm back! Sorry about the delay, goddamn writers block again (along with a bunch of other distractions). Anyway, I've been working like mad on this for the last few days, so we're finally back on track. So, big things are in the works for this fic and you may be shocked by some of them. I can't say anymore here, but I can promise new chapters in the next few days. **


	10. Warnings

"So, what did Mr. McLean want?" Nikki asked, with a curious glance at Bridgette. They were sitting at their usual table in the cafeteria and everyone seemed intent on finding out what Bridgette and Mr. McLean had talked about. Bridgette had been unable to find Nikki and Gwen after she had left Mr. McLean's room, which had frustrated her as she had wanted to tell them about what Mr. McLean had said. But now that she had them here she felt strangely hesitant to spill the beans.

"Bridgette?" Nikki asked. "Are you even listening to me?"

"Huh, what?" Bridgette asked, looking up from her food to find the entire table staring at her with expectant looks.

"I asked you what Mr. McLean wanted from you." Nikki repeated, with a concerned glance at Gwen, who nodded.

"Oh, um, he...he just wanted to talk, I guess." Bridgette replied, avoiding Nikki's eyes.

"Bridgette, don't lie to us." Gwen said, her expression serious. "We know something happened with Mr. McLean and we want to help."

"Nothing happened, I swear." Bridgette said, her level of irritation beginning to rise. "All he said was he was concerned that I was becoming distracted and then he asked me to come by his office on Friday for lunch. I don't see what the big fucking deal is."

The shudder that passed over the table at these words was nearly tangible and Bridgette noticed it almost instantly. There was something her friends weren't telling her about Mr. McLean and it seemed to her that they had been waiting for something like this to happen. She looked at each of them in turn, her eyes finally coming to rest on Geoff, who gave a guilty smile and looked down at his food.

"Alright, what's the secret." Bridgette asked. "What is it you guys aren't telling me?"

"Secret, what secret?" LeShawna said, with a quick glance at the others. "What are you talking about Bridgette?"

"Don't do that LeShawna." Bridgette said. "I'm not stupid and I'm not a child, so don't fucking treat me like one. I know you guys aren't telling me something and I want to know what it is."

Gwen sighed. "Looks like we're gonna have to tell her guys." she said, with a glance at Geoff. "She's bound to figure it out eventually anyway." Geoff nodded and Gwen continued, not looking at Bridgette. "Okay, so the truth is, Mr. McLean has somewhat of a reputation for flirting with students, hitting on them really, and we think he's targeted you."

Bridgette was stunned. She had been expecting something bad, but nothing like this. How could they have kept this a secret from her? Weren't Nikki and Gwen supposed to be her friends? Wasn't Geoff her boyfriend? Weren't they all supposed to be her friends? So why, what had made them hesitate to tell her the truth?

Bridgette stared at her friends, her anger thudding in her ears. "So you're telling me, what, that Mr. McLean is some kind of pervert and you think he's gonna try and fuck me, is that it?" she spat, unable to keep her voice level. Geoff gave a reluctant nod. "And you're just telling me this now, because, what, you didn't think I could handle it?"

"Well, yes, no, I don't know." Geoff stammered, not looking at her. He looked at the others for help, but none of them seemed to want anything to do with a pissed off Bridgette. Geoff moved to reassure her, but Bridgette pulled away revulsion and hatred burning in her eyes.

"Fuck you." she snarled. "Fuck you all. Some friends you are." With that, she rose from her seat and ran from the cafeteria without a backwards glance.

"Bridgette wait!" Geoff shouted. "Let me explain." But she was out of earshot and he didn't have the heart to follow her at that moment. He gave the others a helpless glance, as if they could somehow change what had just happened, but he knew they couldn't. He also knew they may very well have killed his relationship with Bridgette. With that gloomy thought in mind Geoff and the others headed off to class, each of them hoping this wasn't the end.

No one saw Bridgette for the rest of the day. It seemed she had skipped out early and by the end of the day the gang was in a throughly depressed state. Geoff was particularly bummed because he was convinced he and Bridgette were done. However, he was not about to give up that easily.

"We should have told her sooner guys." Izzy said, as the gang headed to Bowl-o-Rama.

"Bra, you saw how she reacted at lunch." Jude said, with an uncertain glance at Geoff. "I mean, she practically tore us apart back there, who's to say she wouldn't have done that no matter when we told her."

"No Jude, you're wrong." said Geoff. "She only freaked because we waited, and I'm going to fix this, somehow."

"Dude, you don't even know where she is, how do you expect to talk to her if you can't find her?" Owen asked.

"Well, I could call her." said Geoff. "But this is one conversation I'd rather have face to face, so I'm gonna go find her. Bridgette's only been here a few weeks so there's only a few places she could go, seeing as she doesn't know the city that well. So my guess is she's either at home, at Bowl-o-Rama, or still at school somewhere. Regardless, I will find her and I will explain why we waited. I will fucking fix this."

With that, jumped into his truck and took off. He would check Bowl-o-Rama first, though he was not surprised when he got there and found no sign of Bridgette. He then headed to her house, breathing a little easier when he saw her car in the driveway. He pulled up and killed the engine and then took a moment to gather himself before heading to the door. He knocked three times, but did not get a response. "Bridgette, it's Geoff." he called.

That got a response. The door opened a crack and something came flying from within the house, hitting him square in the face. He staggered back, but managed to keep his balance. He looked down and saw a shoe laying at his feet and then he heard Bridgette's angry voice. "Go away, I don't want to talk to you."

"Come on Bridge, please let me explain." Geoff pleaded, fighting through the pain in his nose where the shoe had hit.

"Explain what?" Bridgette asked, stepping out onto the porch. "How you and the others betrayed me? Is that what you want to explain Geoff? Cuz I don't want to hear it."

Geoff stared at her a moment before answering. It was obvious that she had been crying, her eyes were red and puffy and there were tear streaks running down her cheeks. Geoff took a deep breath and spoke, "We didn't betray you Bridge. We just thought it would be better if you didn't know, cuz, you know, finding out that your teacher is a perv can be kinda shocking. It's not that we thought you couldn't handle it, we just...I don't know...we just didn't want to scare you, I guess."

He glanced at her and was relieved to see that her expression had softened somewhat. "So he really is a pervert then?" she asked, forgetting her anger.

"Well, it's really more of a rumor than an actual fact, but he's never denied it, so we all just drew the logical conclusion." Geoff replied. "But no one has ever accused him of anything either, so it's really more of a topic for gossip than anything else."

"Do you think he is?" Bridgette asked, staring at Geoff.

"I don't know, to be honest." Geoff replied. "But Nikki, Gwen, LeShawna, Izzy, and Starr do, so I'm inclined to agree. Look, I'm not saying don't go meet with him on Friday, I'm just saying be careful, cuz according to the rumors he uses these private conversations to seduce girls. But, again, it's just a rumor."

Bridgette nodded before walking up to him and wrapping her arms around him. She looked into his eyes and for a moment forgot what she was doing before regaining her senses. "Sorry I freaked." she whispered. "And about the shoe in the face."

"Don't worry about it babe." Geoff said with a smile. "Everyone has their moments." He kissed her then, a long, passionate kiss that said their relationship was far from dead.

With her freak out behind her and her friends firmly on her side, Bridgette looked forward to Friday with a slightly larger feeling of dread. But she was still going to go through with it, no matter what the risks might be. However, there were others besides her friends who were concerned about her meeting with Mr. McLean, chief among them Duncan, who Bridgette hadn't seen since the party.

The day after finding out the truth about Mr. McLean, Bridgette was confronted by her stalker. She was surprised to find that he was willing to risk his tough guy image to protect her, but apparently Duncan didn't see it that way. It was all just business to him, just part of his assignment from the Kings.

"So, do you want to explain to me why you're fucking meeting with McLean alone?" Duncan demanded, his expression serious.

"I don't see how that's any of your business." Bridgette replied.

"It's my business because I know what kind of scumbag McLean is." Duncan said, trying to keep his anger in check.

"Okay, look, I've already heard this from people I trust more than you and I'm going to meet with Mr. McLean on Friday, no matter what." Bridgette said, her anger rising as well. "Why do you care what I do anyway? Wait, let me guess, this has something to do with the Kings, doesn't it?"

Anger flashed in Duncan's eyes, but he pushed it down. "Yes, it does." he said, shortly. "But you need to understand something Bridgette. If you're not careful you'll end up like all the other girls in this fucking dump, just another toy for a sick, perverted scumbag."

"And you'd know all about scumbags, wouldn't you Duncan?" Bridgette said, with a grin. "I know all about you, that you've been to juvi, that you're a low life punk who thinks he's better than he is. Don't play games with me Duncan, you won't win." _Or maybe you will, since I don't actually know anything about you. _Bridgette pushed the thought away and stared Duncan directly in the eye, awaiting his response.

But Duncan said nothing. With one last glare he walked past her and disappeared into the crowd in the hall. Bridgette took a moment to collect herself before moving on as well. Her latest encounter with Duncan had left her with still more questions, but she would have to wait until Friday to get the answers. Still, that would not stop her from pondering the questions until then.

For the rest of the week Bridgette was bombarded by warnings about Mr. McLean. Everyone, it seemed, was interested in making sure she was careful. Even Heather was keen to give her two cents, though Bridgette doubted Heather's intentions were genuine. And, yet for all the warnings she was determined to go through with the meeting. She had several reasons for being so determined. For one, a part of her was still not convinced Mr. McLean was really a twisted pervert and she had to see for herself if the rumors were true before she would fully accept them. There was also Mr. McLean's promise of answers about Duncan that motivated her as well and Bridgette knew that if she did not take advantage of this opportunity she may not get another. So, despite the growing feeling of dread in her chest, she would ignore the warnings, go through with her plan, and hope that everything turned out alright.

**A/N: And that's chapter 10. Hope you enjoyed. So, what are Mr. McLean's true motives? Is he really a perv or does he actually want to help? And will Bridgette finally find out the truth about Duncan? The answers to these questions and many more are coming up in the next exciting chapter of the Trials of High School!**


	11. Lust, Lunch, & Answers

Finally, after a week that seemed like an eternity, Friday arrived. Bridgette was exhausted from the marathon of warnings and was unsure she would have the strength to make it to lunch. But, to her eternal relief, lunch finally arrived and she made her way to Mr. McLean's office. Mr. McLean greeted her with a smile and motioned for her to sit. Bridgette complied and Mr. McLean took a seat on the opposite side of his desk. For a moment they simply stared at one another, as if each was waiting for the other to begin the conversation. Finally Mr. McLean spoke.

"So nice of you to join me for lunch today, Bridgette." he said, his voice smooth and pleasant. "I assume you remember the reason for our meeting?"

"Yes." Bridgett replied, with a nod. "You said you could give me answers about Duncan."

"And I will." Mr. McLean said, with a smile. "But first, let me ask you something. Are you afraid of me Bridgette?"

Bridgette froze, her breath catching in her lungs. Did he know? Had Mr. McLean figured out that his students knew he was pervert? No, that couldn't be, everyone had assured her that McLean had no idea of their suspicions.

"N-No." she stammered, trying to regain her composure. "Why would I be afraid of you?"

"No reason, just thought I'd ask." Mr. McLean replied, his smile betraying no hint of suspicion. "So, moving on to the reason you're here. Duncan Reynolds, our local man of mystery."

Bridgette tensed, not liking the way Mr. McLean described Duncan. "But you've unraveled the mystery, haven't you?" she asked, fear starting to creep up her spine.

"Well, first of all there isn't really a big mystery surrounding Duncan." Mr. McLean said. "But if there were, I would have unraveled it, you can count on that."

"So, then, what's the story?" Bridgette asked, disappointment and curiosity mixing with her fear now.

"Duncan is a troubled kid." Mr McLean said. "His father has been in prison for most of Duncan's life and his mother, well let's just say she hasn't ever been that good at holding down the fort, so to speak. So Duncan has had to rely on himself for a lot of things and that's gotten him into trouble. I assume you already know that he's been to juvi?"

"Yeah, Nikki told me." Bridgette said, with a nod.

"Ah, Nikki, always so knowledgeable and caring." Mr. McLean said. "That's why she's one of my favorite students, you know."

Bridgette shuddered and quickly steered the conversation back to Duncan. "So, what did he do to land him in juvi?"

"Well, it was couple of things actually." Mr. McLean answered, ignoring Bridgette's shudder. "But the big reason was the death of the girl he was with at the time."

"Duncan's a murderer?" Bridgette asked, shock rolling over in waves.

"No, he's not." Mr. McLean said, his tone comforting. "But he was a suspect and initially the police were convinced it was him. But he was only sixteen at the time and couldn't be tried as an adult so he was held in juvenile detention until a hearing could be arranged. However, he was released a short time later after new evidence ruled him out as a suspect."

"So who actually killed the girl and why did Duncan go back to juvi?" Bridgette asked, her fear and disappointment now overcome by curiosity.

"The girl, who's name was Sierra, was killed by her stepfather." Mr. McLean replied. "And Duncan went back to juvi for selling marijuana and then again for being part of a brawl at a club downtown. That's the one he just got released from, by the way."

"How do you know all this?" Bridgette asked, finding it difficult to believe that Mr. McLean had any sort of personal interest in Duncan's life.

"I used to date Duncan's mother." Mr. McLean answered, after a moment's hesitation. "And, despite the fact that she married another man, I have kept an interest in her life and so, the life of her son as well. Also, Sierra's murder was all over the news for weeks."

_That's bullshit_. Bridgette thought, _there's no way he dated Duncan's mother, and would still __be interested in her son even after she spurned him_. But even as she thought this, Bridgette knew she had no way to confirm the story. No one else knew this part and even if they did they would most likely confirm Mr. McLean's words. But that did not mean the conversation was over. Bridgette still had one more question, this one more vital than any other.

"What is Duncan's connection to the Three Kings?" she asked, seeming to catch McLean by surprise.

Mr. McLean recovered quickly however and managed to mask his surprise with a smile. "I am afraid I don't know anything about that." he said, not looking at Bridgette.

"Come on Chris, don't lie to me." Bridgette said. Her voice was calm, but her eyes were blazing and Mr. McLean could not deny he liked the fact that she had used his first name for once.

"Alright, I'll tell you." he said, once again masking his emotions with a smile. "The Kings all know about Duncan's past and they seem to have taken pity on him."

"Why would they do that?" Bridgette interrupted.

"Because Chef, Ron, and Halder all had less than ideal childhoods themselves and I think they don't want to see Duncan travel down a road that will get him killed." McLean replied. "They're trying to help him out, because he has yet to graduate." Seeing the confused look on Bridgette's face he added. "Duncan was supposed to graduate two years ago, but he has several classes he hasn't finished, including mine, and without those he can't leave."

"Why would they send him to stalk me though?" Bridgette asked, perplexed.

"For that I honestly have no answer." McLean said. "Now, I have given you the answers you sought and I hope you will no longer be distracted." He stood and walked to the door, Bridgette following his lead, though she could sense there was something else he wanted to say. For a moment, he seemed to hesitate and then, just as she was exiting he held her back.

"I am sorry Bridgette, but there is something more we must discuss." he said. The look in his eyes was that of someone who knew he was about to do something horrible but could not stop himself. Bridgette shuddered, hoping against all hope that he wouldn't ask what she thought he was about to. But her hopes were to be dashed.

"I know it is not appropriate for a teacher to say this to a student, but I have to tell you that when I look at you Bridgette I see something so beautiful that I cannot help but long for you." Mr. McLean said, his tone dreamy.

Bridgette pulled away from him, horrified by his words. "What are you saying?" she asked, staring at him with absolute horror. "Are you saying you want to have sex with me?"

"I...yes." Mr. McLean admitted. "That is what I am saying." He stared at her as if seeing her for the first time, the look in his eyes dreamy, and yet somehow utterly demented as well. For a moment he simply stared at her and then he advanced, his hands reaching for her chest.

"Stop!" Bridgette cried, fear and horror and disgust flooding her, telling her to run. But she couldn't, she was rooted to the spot, her fear holding her in place. Before she could do anything to stop him Mr. McLean was on her, shoving her into the wall, his body pressed up against hers, hands groping around her ass.

"No! No, get the fuck off of me you sick FREAK!" Bridgette screamed, pushing Mr. McLean away from her.

Mr. McLean staggered back and blinked as though he was coming out of a daze. "What...what just-" he froze, seeing the horrified look on Bridgette's face, the tears in her eyes. "Oh God, Bridgette I am so sorry." he said. "I never meant to-", but his sentence died in his throat, there was no way he was going to be able to explain. Even if he could, she wouldn't believe him, wouldn't accept why he had done it. In the short time he had known her Mr. McLean had quickly figured out that Bridgette was not that kind of high school girl. She would not fall for his bullshit explanations and his games. "You should go." he said. "Lunch is almost over and people will ask questions neither of us are in any condition to answer."

Bridgette nodded and exited the room. As soon as she was in the hall she ran for the nearest bathroom, diving into a stall once there. Her whole body was shaking, the shock of the attack consuming her mind. She turned towards the toilet and vomited, bile mixing with the sandwich she had eaten for lunch and the bagel she had eaten for breakfast. Twice she heaved, forcing out the filth, the disgust she felt at what had just happened. It was true, it was all true, everything she had been told by her friends was true. Mr. McLean was a sick, pedophile, pervert who fucked high school girls for fun. The thought horrified her, but more than that the idea that she had been attacked by a teacher meant she now had to deal with authorities, something she had never done before. She was marked, tainted, she would never feel clean again. And as this realization washed over her she sank to the floor and let the tears flow.

**A/N: Yeah, I know, pretty sick shit, right? Now you know why this fic is rated M and I promise it get's worse. In case you're wondering why no one heard Bridgette scream, it's because she and McLean were three floors above the cafeteria, where everyone else was at the time. Also, I apologize for another long break, but I had shit to do and all that. Anyway, now you know don't ever trust game show hosts who have been turned into high school teachers by fan fiction writers.**


	12. The Kings' Proposal

Bridgette had no contact with anyone for the entire weekend. The shock of what she had experienced in Mr. McLean's office was more than she could deal with and she could not find a way to bring herself to tell anyone what had happened. This was a problem however, as she knew she needed to tell someone, if only to get it off her chest. But fear kept her silent. For whatever reason, she was afraid to tell the truth, afraid to revisit the horror of that day, afraid that no one would believe her and she would be cast off as some raving lunatic never to be trusted again. Bridgette knew this fear was irrational, knew that someone would believe her, but for now at least, the fear had control.

When Monday finally came Bridgette returned to school convinced not to tell anyone what was wrong. But when one disappears for two days one may find it difficult to keep the truth from ones friends.

"Hey Bridgette, where were you all weekend?" Nikki asked, meeting Bridgette in the parking lot. "You went to your meeting with McLean and then you just disappeared. What happened?"

Bridgette hesitated a moment, unsure how spin the story so Nikki would buy it. "I...uh, I wasn't feeling well and I didn't want to risk getting anyone else sick." She smiled, hoping to convey innocence.

"You seem to have gotten over whatever you had pretty quick though." Gwen said. Bridgette hadn't even noticed Gwen was there, having been too focused on Nikki to notice anyone else.

"I mean, it seems a little strange you were only sick for two days Bridgette." Gwen continued. "You sure there's not something else you're not telling us."

"Yes, I was sick and that's that." Bridgette snapped. "Quit pestering me, would you?"

"Okay, whatever you say Bridge." Nikki muttered as they made there way inside.

They had barely made it to their lockers when they were confronted by a very grumpy looking Geoff. "What the hell Bridgette." he almost shouted. "I called you, like, twenty times over the weekend, where were you?"

"She claims she was sick." Gwen muttered, with a disgruntled glance at Bridgette.

"Sick with what, the weekend flu?" Geoff snapped, his anger boiling over.

"No, it wasn't the flu." Bridgette said, not meeting Geoff's glare. "It was something else, I don't know, some kind of food poisoning or something."

"Ha! I knew it was bullshit!" Nikki exclaimed, rounding on Bridgette with a grin.

"W-what do you mean?" Bridgette stammered, her cover faltering.

"You said you didn't want to risk getting anyone sick, but the most common viruses that cause food poisoning aren't contagious." Nikki said. "The only way you could've gotten any of us sick would've been to give us some of the same food that made you sick, which I'm starting to think didn't actually happen, did it?"

"It did!" Bridgette cried. "I swear to you it did. I got food poisoning from something I ate for lunch on Friday and it lasted all weekend." She had them now. None of them knew what she had eaten for lunch on Friday and they had no way of finding out. But Nikki still wore a look of suspicion and Bridgette could sense this discussion wasn't over.

Fortunately she was saved from having to explain any further by the bell, which she had never been more grateful for in her life. However there was a downside to this as well, for going to class meant seeing Mr. McLean for the first time since Friday, something Bridgette was not entirely sure she was willing to do. But she had no choice, it was either go to class and face Mr. McLean or tell her friends the truth and at that moment she was more willing to do the former.

To Bridgette's surprise, however, Mr. McLean was not there when she arrived at his classroom. This was suspicious, and it seemed she wasn't the only one who noticed this.

"Where's McLean?" Gwen asked, as they took their seats beside Jude.

"No idea bra." Jude replied. "No one's seen him at all this morning. Maybe he's sick."

"Yeah, maybe." Nikki said, shooting Bridgette a suspicious glance.

At that moment Coach Halder entered, wearing a very disgruntled expression. He glared at the room, his gaze coming to rest on Bridgette, who felt a shiver go up her spine. What was Coach doing here? Was Jude's theory correct, was McLean really sick? Or was Coach Halder there for a different reason?

"Hey Coach, where's McLean?" Jude asked, his curiosity overcoming his fear of the coach.

"Mr. McLean is not feeling well, so I have been asked to oversee his...class." The contempt with which he spoke made the entire class recoil, as though they were afraid he was going to physically harm them for taking an English lit class. No one spoke after that and the class passed without further incident. By the time the bell rang everyone was glad to leave, as none of them had experienced an English lit class that bad before.

Bridgette was particularly keen on getting out as fast as possible, but Coach Halder had other ideas. "Miss Wells, could I speak with you a moment?" he asked before she could slip out.

Bridgette froze and shot a fearful glance at Nikki and Gwen who were still there as well. "May I ask what it it you need to say?" Bridgette asked, hoping she was making the right move.

Coach Halder glared at her. "What I need to say is of great importance, but it also does not concern your friends." he growled. Bridgette shot another glance at Nikki and Gwen who both shrugged. Coach Halder continued, "Miss Wong, Miss Carver you may leave, I assure you Miss Wells is not in any trouble."

Bridgette nodded and Nikki and Gwen left. Bridgette then turned her full attention to Coach Halder. "So, if I'm not in trouble, what can I do for you?" she asked, still unsure if she wanted to know.

"Come with me." Coach Halder responded. "We have a request to make of you."

_We? Who the hell is we? _Bridgette thought. And then, like a bolt of lightning, realization struck. She was going to meet with the Kings. Of course she was, how had she not seen it from the beginning? Coach Halder was one of them after all. The question now was, what did they want from her and would she be able to carry out the task?

Moments later they arrived at what appeared to be the school's boiler room. They entered to find Ron, Chef, and Duncan waiting for them. Bridgette felt an involuntary spasm pass through her as her fear battled her curiosity. She was torn between an overwhelming desire to run and an equally overwhelming desire to find out why she had been brought here. Duncan grinned at her as she and Coach entered.

"Welcome to the hideout, Blondy." Duncan said, glancing at Coach as he spoke.

Bridgette wanted to make some snarky comment about Duncan and the Kings being some kind of messed up gang but she thought better of it. Pissing them off now would do her no good. Better to just go along with the game and see what it was they wanted from her.

"So, like Duncan said, welcome Miss Wells." said Chef, his voice deep and gravely. "Welcome to your first day in service of the Three Kings."

"Service? You didn't say anything about service." Bridgette said, shooting an accusing glare at Coach Halder.

"One thing you need to understand about the Kings, Blondy, is this, they never give straight answers." said Duncan, with another grin.

"Is this some kind of game to you?" Bridgette shouted, glaring at Duncan. "You come into my life, stalk me like I'm your prey, and then tell me you work for these so called Kings. What the hell is wrong with you Duncan? What's fucking wrong with all of you? Are you just playing games or are you all seriously sick fuckers? Tell me the truth or I swear to God I will fucking report you all to authorities more powerful than you."

"Language Miss Wells." Ron scolded. "You want the truth from us? You want to know what the game, as you say, is? Well, then we need something from you as well."

"What?" Bridgette asked, her anger still seething. "What do you want from me?"

"We require your help, that is all." Chef answered, with a slight nod.

"And what, exactly, do you require my help with?" Bridgette asked, trying to keep her voice level.

"Me. They require your help with me." Duncan said, not meeting Bridgette's gaze, all of his usual swagger gone.

"You? Why would they need me to help you?" Bridgette asked. And then, in a sudden rush of realization the answers came to her. What was it Mr. McLean had said, something about the Kings wanting to help Duncan so he didn't end up like them. Could this be what McLean had been talking about?

"You think I can help him graduate?" Bridgette asked, glancing at each of the Kings in turn, before coming to rest on Duncan.

"That is what we were hoping for, yes." Ron answered.

"Is that why you had Duncan stalk me?" Bridgette asked, still staring at Duncan.

"Not stalk. Observe." Chef corrected. "But yes, that is why he did it. We needed to see if you were capable of handling the task."

"And what would this task be, exactly?" Bridgette asked.

"We need you to tutor Duncan, specifically in English and math." Coach Halder said.

"And what makes you think I'd be any good at something like that?" Bridgette asked.

"Don't sell yourself short Miss Wells." said Chef. "From what Duncan has told us, you are an excellent student and we think you would be the perfect person to help Duncan graduate."

Bridgette was taken aback by Chef's honesty. She had not expected the Kings or Duncan to treat her with respect and was surprised to find how generous they could be. Still, she was dubious of their plans. Were they really being nice or was this all just part of a sick game?

"Well, um...thanks for that, I guess." Bridgette said, giving Chef a small smile. "But I still don't understand why you chose me?"

"Because all the nerds at this dump of a school can't handle me." Duncan said, with yet another sly grin. "Also, you're new so it was only logical for the Kings to assume you'd be able to handle the job."

"Okay, just so I'm clear you guys want me to tutor Duncan so he can finally graduate because I'm the only person you think is strong enough to handle the job?" Bridgette asked.

"That is correct." Chef replied. "So, do you accept our proposal?"

"I...yes, I'll tutor Duncan, but I have something to ask in return." Bridgette said.

"Do you now?" Chef asked. Bridgette noticed the quick glance he shot at the other two Kings. The look that passed between them made her shiver. Did they already know what she was about to ask and would they help?

"Yes, I need your help with something as well." Bridgette said, looking directly at Chef, who nodded. Without waiting for the others to respond, she proceeded to tell them about what had happened between her and Mr. McLean the previous Friday. Neither the Kings nor Duncan made any comment about her story, though all four of them seemed to grow darker as the story progressed. When she was finished Bridgette looked at each of them in turn, awaiting their response, but none came.

Finally Coach Halder spoke. "Very well, we shall see what we can do." he said.

"And I have your word you won't tell anyone else?" Bridgette asked.

"You have our word." Ron affirmed. "You may go Miss Wells."

Bridgette nodded and left the room, glancing back at Duncan as she did. He was not looking at her, but was staring at the floor, a slight smile playing about his lips. And for reasons she could not explain, that smile filled Bridgette's heart with dread.

**A/N: Okay, so we're finally getting into the meat of things with this fic, and like I said in my last authors note things are going to get worse for Bridgette. Some things will get better as well, but that may take awhile. Also, I realized recently that I have never clearly stated what grade this characters are in so, just so you're aware, they are all seniors, more or less (a couple are actually juniors, but I'll point out who a later point).**


	13. The Tutor

Finally, Bridgette had the answers she wanted. She knew now why Duncan had been "observing" her and why the Kings had been interested in her. And she knew they would have her back when the time came to reveal the truth about Mr. McLean. What she was less sure of was how she was going to tutor Duncan without arousing the suspicions of her friends, particularly Geoff. And then there was Duncan himself and whether or not he would actually accept her help. He had seemed to want it during the meeting with the Kings, but Bridgette was unsure how long he would actually stay committed. There was something about the way he had been smiling when she left that made her feel uneasy, though she couldn't quite explain what. Perhaps it was simply the fact that it was Duncan and he had always made her feel uneasy. Whatever the reason, the first step in this experiment was to register with the school's tutoring service.

The day after her meeting with Duncan and the Kings Bridgette arrived at school intent on officially becoming Duncan's tutor. She had decided she would tell Nikki and Gwen what was going on, mainly because she had no idea where the tutoring department's office was.

"So Coach just took you down to the boiler room and the Kings made their proposal?" Nikki asked, for the sixth time.

"Yes, I already told you that." Bridgette said, hoping her voice was calm. She was beginning to get irritated by all the questions Nikki and Gwen were flinging at her.

"But why you?" Nikki asked. "I mean, you're new here, why wouldn't they choose someone they were more familiar with?"

"Because the Kings think I'll be able to handle Duncan for that exact reason." Bridgette said. "Because I'm new, I haven't had to deal with Duncan before, unlike all the other tutors here who have been scared shitless by him."

"We're here." Gwen announced, stopping short in front of a large white door. There was no sign to indicate what lay behind it.

"That's the office of the tutoring department?" Bridgette asked.

"Yes, and you've probably walked by it a hundred times already, like I told you." Gwen said, with a glance at Nikki.

"Well, go on then. Go become the tutor for the most feared jackass in the school." Nikki said, with a grin. She gave Bridgette a small shove towards the door. "We'll be waiting out here when you're done."

Bridgette nodded and entered the office. She was greeted by a short, young woman with round glasses and curly red hair. The name plate on her desk said Sandi Jones, Tutoring Director.

"Hello, may I help you?" Sandi asked, with a smile.

"Yes. My name is Bridgette Wells and I was wondering if I could register to become a tutor?" Bridgette said, also smiling.

"Well Bridgette, we're kinda set for peer tutors at the moment, but I could put you on a waiting list if you'd like?" Sandi said, still smiling.

"Actually I'm here because I've been asked to tutor a specific individual." Bridgette said. "An individual named Duncan Reynolds."

Sandi gasped, but quickly regained her composure. "Did the Three Kings put you up to this?" she inquired.

"Yes. Why?" Bridgette asked, confused by the woman's reaction.

"Well, it's just, Duncan Reynolds is a tough case." Sandi said. "I have tutored him myself and he's...well he's just not very receptive to help, I guess. Of course, one of the reasons he's still here is because no tutors will help him, cuz they're all terrified of him."

"I am aware of Duncan's issues and I assure you I can handle him." Bridgette said.

Sandi looked as though she didn't believe Bridgette at all, but, after a moment's consideration she conceded. "Alright, if you think you can handle Duncan I'll register you, but you must fully comply with the guidelines or I will be forced to revoke your right to tutor in this school."

Bridgette nodded to show she understood and Sandi passed her the form to sign. After carefully reading over the tutoring guidelines, Bridgette signed the form, handed it back to Sandi and left the office.

Nikki and Gwen were waiting across the hall, leaning against a set of lockers and looking like they had just finished a private conversation. "So, did you do it? Are you officially a tutor now?" Nikki asked, eying Bridgette.

"Yes and I plan on starting this afternoon, so I need to go find Duncan." Bridgette said, her voice full of pride and something else Nikki couldn't quite distinguish.

"Okay, I guess we'll see you around then." Nikki said, with a glance at Bridgette.

"Yeah, see ya." Bridgette said. She turned and left, wondering what the other two had been talking about while she was in the office.

That afternoon, after school was over for the day, Bridgette began her first tutoring session with Duncan. They were sitting in an empty classroom, Duncan with his feet up on a desk, with an array of textbooks and materials laid out before them.

"So, what're you gonna teach me Blondy?" Duncan asked, with a smirk.

"I thought we'd begin with grammar and punctuation, as those are the areas you need the most help with, according to Mr. McLean." Bridgette said, suppressing a shudder. "Oh, and my name's not Blondy, it's Bridgette."

"Sure, right, whatever you say." Duncan muttered, rolling his eyes.

Bridgette ignored this and turned her attention to the material. "Why don't we begin with you telling me what you know and then we can go from there?"

"Yeah like that'll work." Duncan muttered. "If I already knew this shit we wouldn't be here now, would we?"

"If you believe you don't need my help you are free to leave." Bridgette said, gesturing towards the door. "Of course, that means you will have to explain to the Kings why you won't be graduating yet again."

Duncan glared at her, but made no move to leave. It seemed fear of the Kings would keep him in line for the time being. Either that or he actually genuinely wanted to graduate this time. It made no difference to Bridgette, as long as he stayed and let her help.

"Okay so, again I ask, what do you already know about grammar and punctuation Duncan?" Bridgette asked.

"Well, I understand periods, questions marks, and exclamation points pretty well." he said. "But what always confuses me are commas, and semi-colons and whatever else."

"Okay, that's a good place to start." Bridgette said, allowing a small smile to creep up the corners of her mouth. "So, commas are used to indicate pauses in a sentence and to create lists. For example, if I have a list of items I need to buy at the store I woulds use commas to break up that list."

Duncan gave an understanding nod, though Bridgette was unsure if he had actually grasped the concept. "Okay, I think I'm starting to get this Blondy." he said, with a satisfied grin.

"That's good." Bridgette said, with a smile. "And once again, my name is Bridgette."

"Right, sure." Duncan muttered, turning his attention to the worksheets Bridgette had prepared for him, apparently ready to begin learning.

For the next hour they worked on sentence structure and punctuation, Duncan writing and Bridgette correcting his work and guiding him along. Bridgette was filled with a sense of satisfaction she had never felt before and was surprised to find that she was actually enjoying helping a guy like Duncan, whom she would not normally have associated with. By the time their session was over, Bridgette was positively glowing with pride and Duncan seemed to finally be taking the whole thing seriously. He still had a long way to go to be able to pass the classes he needed, but they had made progress and that was something they could both be proud of.

"Okay, so, same time tomorrow?" Bridgette asked, as they packed up their things.

"I'll be here." Duncan confirmed. "Anything to finally get out of this place."

Bridgette nodded and Duncan left. For a moment, Bridgette hesitated, wondering just how much of her teaching had actually sunk in. But, as she thought about it, it became clear that Duncan was serious about passing the necessary classes and would do anything to get it done. So, though it may be hard, there was a chance this experiment might just work.

**A/N: Well, there you go. Bridgette is now officially Duncan's tutor. And, just so we're clear the reason Duncan needs help is not because he's stupid but because he simply didn't have the interest to pay attention long enough for his lessons to sink in. That, and he rarely did any of his assignments, and the ones he did do were often of inferior quality, which is what Bridgette is helping him to improve. Also, I'm not that great with the rules of grammer myself so if you think Bridgette's explaination of the use of commas is flawed please let me know.**


	14. One of Us

The next day, fresh off her successful first day as Duncan's tutor, Bridgette arrived at school to find a distinctly different group of people waiting for her than usual. Instead of being greeted by Nikki, Gwen, and Geoff she was greeted by the group of nerds Nikki had pointed out to her on her first day. As she approached, their anticipation seemed to grow, as if they had been expecting her to show up from the moment they had arrived that day.

"Uh, Bridgette can we speak with you?" the red headed one, Harold, Bridgette reminded herself, said without preamble.

"Sure, I guess." Bridgette answered, taken aback by his forward manner. "What do you need to say?"

"We just wanted to welcome you to the fold is all." Harold answered, looking at the floor.

"Excuse me?" Bridgette asked. "What did you just say?"

"He said we wish to welcome you to the, er...light side of the force." the one called Darth said, staring at Bridgette in a way that made her uncomfortable.

"The light side of the force huh?" Bridgette said. "I don't think I signed up to be in a Star Wars reenactment."

"What Darth means is, welcome to our ranks." said Harold.

"I'm still not getting what you're playing at." Bridgette said, glancing at the others. "What exactly have I supposedly joined now?"

"The ranks of this school's tutors, of course." Noah said, with a dark glance at Harold and Darth. "You are a tutor now, are you not?"

"Uh, yeah. But what does that have to do with you?" Bridgette asked, more confused than ever now.

"It has everything to do with us." Noah said. "We are the school's tutors, and no one tutors in this school without joining us. That is the way it has always been and if you wish to continue on this path you must pledge allegiance to our group."

"You can't be serious." Bridgette said, staring at the nerds like they were crazy. This was nuts. They were acting like they were their own political entity and to be a tutor was to be a part of their collective. It was insane, it was so totally outside normal that Bridgette was beginning to think these people needed serious medical help. And yet, on some level, it also made sense and she would have to comply if she wished to continue tutoring Duncan.

"In fact, we are quite serious." Noah said. "And if you are not prepared to join us we will speak with Sandi and have you decommissioned."

"No, it's fine. I'll comply." Bridgette said. "Whatever it takes to keep this job."

"Excellent." Noah said. "We shall see you this afternoon to evaluate your effectiveness."

Bridgette nodded and the nerds moved away, leaving her to question her decision to take the King's offer.

"And they just walked up to you and told you all this like they believed it?" Geoff asked, staring at Bridgette in amazement. It was lunch and they were sitting at their usual table, along with Nikki, Gwen, Jude, Trent, Wyatt, Owen, Izzy, Marlowe, Starr, LeShawna, and Ezekiel.

"Yeah, it was some of the weirdest shit I've ever seen." Bridgette said, with a glance at the nerds' table.

"I've always thought Darth and Harold were a little strange, but I had no idea Noah was that off kilter." said Trent.

"I know, right?" said Jude. "He always just seemed like a snotty intellectual dude to me. Who knew he was actually such a nerd?"

At that moment Noah walked over to their table, Harold, Darth and Cody following him. "Bridgette, may I ask why you are sitting with these...people?" Noah asked, with a contemptuous glance around the table.

"Because they're my friends." Bridgette replied, giving Noah a cold look.

"But you are wrong, they are not your friends, not anymore." Noah said. "You are one of us now." He gestured at Harold, Cody, and Darth. "And that means you can no longer associate with such, shall we say, less educated individuals."

"What the fuck?" Geoff shouted, jumping to his feet. "Bridgette can hang out with whoever she wants, you pompous jackass."

"You see what I mean about them being less educated." Noah said, looking directly at Bridgette, with an amused smile.

"Man, fuck you." Owen snarled. "What gives you the right to look down on us?"

"My superior intellect, of course." Noah answered. "Come Bridgette, come sit with your new friends."

"No way man, she's still our friend too." said Jude, with a glance at Bridgette.

Noah paused. "Of course, I will acknowledge that fact." he said. "However, if she wishes to remain a tutor she must come with me or I shall see to it that she is bared from tutoring at this school."

"Yeah, and I'll see to it that your face-" Geoff began, but Bridgette held up a hand to silence him.

"No Geoff, it's okay." she said. "If Noah requires that I go with him, then I will. I don't want to see you guys fight."

Geoff relented and Noah smiled. "Excellent." he said. "Now that we have that settled we can begin your introduction into the group." He smiled again and he, Bridgette, and the other nerds headed over to nerds' table, leaving Bridgette's friends wondering if this was the end of their friendship with her.

By that afternoon, Bridgette had begun to learn more about the nerds. Among the first things she'd learned was not all of them were tutors. In fact only Noah, Harold, and Beth were. Cody, Darth, Julie, and Sierra only hung out with them because they all shared similar interests. Also, Darth and Julie, and Cody and Sierra were in relationships. Noah was the unofficial leader of the group, though in all actuality the power structure of the group made them all equals. Still Noah seemed to hold at least some influence over the others and they, for the most part, seemed to obey his orders.

They met Duncan in the same classroom he and Bridgette had used to previous day. He was surprised to find so many people there and pulled Bridgette aside to express his displeasure.

"Why are there so many nerds here Blondy?" he growled, not bothering to keep his voice down. "I thought this thing was supposed to be between you and me. Did you change something and not tell me?"

"No, they're just here to observe." Bridgette said, honestly.

"Well I don't fucking like it." Duncan snapped. "Can't you just ask them to leave?"

"I'm afraid that won't be possible Duncan." Noah said. "You see, we're here to make sure Bridgette does her job well and if you wish to keep her as a tutor I suggest you accept that."

"How 'bout I save you the trouble?" Duncan growled. "Blondy here is the best damn teacher I've ever had and I think that should be good enough for you, you asshole."

Bridgette felt herself flush at Duncan's words. Did he really think she was the best teacher he'd ever had or was he just saying that to get rid of Noah? Either way, Bridgette didn't care. The mere fact that he had complemented her was an improvement.

"I'm sorry to say Duncan, but Bridgette has only been your tutor for one day, hardly enough time to form an accurate opinion of her methods." Noah said. "Besides, you're the one getting the help and are therefor not qualified to make such judgments."

"Oh really? And what makes so fucking qualified?" Duncan snapped, glaring at Noah.

"Well, my lack of profanity for one." Noah said, with a smirk. "And my superior intellect for another. Also, I am the president of the science club, the president of the chess club, and the captain of the debate team."

Bridgette could not help but be impressed. "Wow, that's a lot of accomplishments." she said. Noah gave a bored nod, as if his achievements were only minor.

Duncan, however, was not so impressed. "Big deal. You've headed up some clubs, anyone could do that. But have you experienced what it's like to live in poverty, what it's like to grow up on streets with no one to help you but yourself?"

Noah blinked, clearly as unimpressed with Duncan as Duncan was with him. "You assume that these events make you a more sympathetic case, but you're wrong. I have no pity for you Duncan and I, quite frankly, cannot understand why Bridgette is wasting her time helping a punk like you, as you will never amount to anything in your life."

"Now hold on a second." Bridgette said, rising to Duncan's defense. "Duncan may not have had the best life and he may not have accomplished as much academically as you have, but he's still got just as good a chance at making it as you do. I don't think you should treat people like that Noah and if that's how you choose to teach than you can't be a very good tutor, can you?"

Noah said nothing. He was too shocked to think of a comeback. He had never been spoken to that way before and was surprised to find that he did not disagree with Bridgette's words. After a moment, he turned and left the room, seemingly done with his evaluation.

"Well, I think we've seen and heard all we need to." Beth said. "Well done Bridgette, you passed the evaluation, you are now officially one of us."

"Thanks." Bridgette said, glancing at Duncan as she spoke.

"Oh, and by the way, don't worry about Noah." Beth continued. "He's just not used to meeting someone who can match wills with him, but he'll get over it. Anyway, we'll let you guys get to work, so, see you around." She smiled and left, the others following her out of the room.

Bridgette turned to Duncan and grinned. "Well, thank God that's over." she muttered. "Noah was really starting to piss me off. Which is not surprising considering he's one of those snotty, I'm better than you assholes I really can't stand, ya know?"

Duncan did not immediately respond, drawing Bridgette's attention. He was staring at her with a look of utter astonishment, as though he had never seen a girl stand up for a guy before. There was something else in his expression as well, something Bridgette was not entirely sure she wanted to confront.

"Duncan, you okay?" she asked, concern in her voice.

He blinked, as though he was coming out of a dream. "Yeah, I'm cool." he said. "I've just never had a girl do for me what you just did."

"Well, you know, Noah was in the wrong there." Bridgette said. "He had no right to be talking to you like that."

"Well thanks." Duncan said, shortly. "Anyway, we should get to work."

Bridgette nodded and handed him his first worksheet, smiling as she did. A strange feeling passed over her then, filling her with warmth, as her mind drifted back to the first time they had met. _Sparks are sure to fly when a surfer meets a punk_. Maybe there was more to that quote than she had first thought. Maybe Duncan wasn't so bad and maybe, just maybe they could be together after all.

**A/N: Oh yeah, that's right, I'm creating some romantic tension here. Or maybe not, you'll have to keep reading to find out. Also, I forgot to mention this last chapter, but high schools, as far as I know, don't usually have whole departments dedicated to tutoring. That's more of a college thing, but it really works for a high school setting as well.**


	15. Lessons in Romance

As the week progressed Bridgette's tutoring sessions with Duncan became more and more enjoyable. By Friday, she was convinced she had made the right decision in taking the Kings' offer. Duncan was making good progress and they had moved on from the basics and had begun working on some of the assignments he actually needed to complete. Bridgette was finding that she actually enjoyed teaching someone and had begun to consider that path as one she might take after graduating. So, overall, the experiment seemed to be working on all fronts, but there was more to it than what was initially seen. As their working relationship had improved, so to had their personal one. True Duncan was still calling Bridgette "Blondy" and he still sort of gave her the creeps, but overall there was a newfound sense of respect between them. Of course, credit for that had to be given to Noah for without his condescension Bridgette would not have stepped up and defended Duncan, not that Duncan really needed defending.

"Well, that'll be all for today I think." Bridgette said, with a smile. It was Friday afternoon and they were in their usual classroom. She began gathering up her materials, but stopped when she noticed Duncan had yet to set down his pencil.

"Duncan, did you not hear me?" Bridgette asked. "I said we're done for the day."

Duncan finally looked up, meeting her concerned gaze with one of determination. "Yeah, I heard you Blondy." he said, with no trace of his usual cockiness. "But, I was just thinking I'd get a bit more done before we packed up shop."

"I admire your dedication Duncan, but we do kinda have to go." Bridgette said, with a grin. "They close up the school at five and if we're not out of here by then we'll be locked in here for the weekend."

"Nah, we'd find a way out." Duncan said, also grinning. "But I do see your point, so I guess we can go."

Bridgette smiled. It really was inspiring to see just how quickly Duncan had taken to learning. She had only been tutoring him for four days and already he seemed to have a whole new attitude towards his education. It was kind of surprising really, to think that she had an impact in his life that no one else had ever been able to make. But it filled her with a sense of pride to know that she, Bridgette Wells, was making a difference.

"So Blondy, wanna come by my place tomorrow?" Duncan asked, as they left the building.

Bridgette stopped short, her heart racing. Had Duncan just asked her to come over to his house? Why would she do that? She was in a relationship with Geoff, why would she have any interest in spending her weekend with another guy?

"What did you just say?" she asked, staring at Duncan in shock.

"I asked if you wanted to come by my place tomorrow." he said, clearly confused by her reaction.

"And why would I want to do that?" she asked, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"So we can study, duh." Duncan replied. "What did you think I was inviting you over for?"

Again Bridgette froze, but this time out of shock at her own stupidity. Of course he only wanted to study with her, she was his tutor after all. She had to stop jumping to irrational conclusions, especially about Duncan.

Duncan, who was staring at her like she was crazy. "Wait, did you think I was asking you to come over so we could make out?" Duncan asked, his look growing more confused.

"Yes." Bridgette admitted, staring at the pavement.

"Ha, yeah right Blondy." Duncan said, his usual swagger in full force now. "I don't think about you in that way. You're my tutor and I'm your student. Maybe we're friends, maybe we're not. Doesn't matter though, cuz I don't see you as a person to have sex with, I see you as a kind person who is helping my lazy ass out. Not that you're not good looking or whatever, I'm just not into blonds."

Bridgette didn't know what to say. She was so taken aback by Duncan's speech that her mind seemed to have temporarily shut itself off. How could she have been so stupid? Why hadn't she seen that he was only interested in her because she was helping him out? There had to be an explanation but she could not figure out what it was. Maybe it didn't matter, maybe she had needed to think he wanted to make out with her so she could hear him say he wasn't interested. Or maybe she just wasn't as good at reading people as she thought.

"So, will you come over tomorrow or not?" Duncan asked, still pressing the issue.

"Yeah, I guess I will." Bridgette answered, with a small nod, still stuck on the notion that Duncan didn't want to make out with her.

The following day Bridgette arrived at Duncan's house ready to continue their studying regimen. The first thing she noticed was how run down the place was. While the houses on either side of Duncan's had relatively neat yards and little trash cluttering the porch, Duncan's house looked like it hadn't been lived in for years. There were weeds everywhere, some nearly as tall as Bridgette, and the three in front looked like it was dying. Beer cans and cigarette buts littered the ground and there was an old, moldy looking couch in the middle of the lawn. The porch was cluttered with boxes and trash, as well as an old washer which appeared to have been damaged by an explosion. The red paint was peeling badly and one of the windows had a large hole in it which had been covered by several sheets of plastic and some duct tape. In the other window Bridgette could see overgrown house plants and what looked like the remains of something that had once been living.

Overall, it was not the kind of house Bridgette would normally have visited. But it was Duncan's home and she would do her best to keep her comments to herself, no matter how badly she wanted to ask why no one ever cleaned. She mounted the front steps and rang the doorbell, which she was surprised to find actually worked.

Duncan answered, dressed in a ratty pair of sweatpants and a tank-top. "Ah, Blondy, you came." he said, his voice full of mock surprise.

Bridgette gave him the finger and walked inside. The interior of the house was not as bad as the exterior, though it could use a lot of work as well. The furniture was saggy, the carpet stained, and the walls were covered with water stains and strange marks, as though someone had run through the house with a Sharpie, making random marks.

Duncan noticed Bridgette's look and moved to make her feel welcome. "I know, it's not a fucking mansion, but it's better than nothing." he said, with a small grin. "Still, I will admit that we could do more to clean the place up."

"No, it's not...I've seen worse." Bridgette said, only half lying.

"Whatever." Duncan muttered. "Like I said, it's better than nothing. Anyway, we'll be studying in my room so you won't have to look at most of it."

Bridgette nodded and followed him down the hallway that lead off the living room. "Where's your mom?" she asked, more for something to talk about than anything.

"She's at work." Duncan said, bitterly. "She works at a convenience store a few blocks from here, but she's really selling drugs out of her van. That's where we get most of our money, but even then we don't get a lot cuz her dick boyfriend blows it all on beer."

He was obviously not happy about his family situation and looked like he had said all he wanted to on the subject so Bridgette didn't push the issue. She looked at him with a mix of pity and sorrow and silently reaffirmed her promise to help him escape this life.

They entered Duncan's room and Bridgette was surprised to find that it was much more organized than the rest of the house. Duncan had decorated the room with posters of his favorite bands-Metallica, Black Flag, Minor Threat, and other metal and punk bands-as well as other interests. He also had a large collection of knives on display along with two large swords. Laying on the bed was an Ibanez bass, which was covered in stickers. And stashed in one corner was an acoustic guitar that looked rather worn and old.

"I didn't know you played guitar." Bridgette said, taking a seat on the edge of the bed.

"I don't." Duncan said, sitting in the one small, uncomfortable looking chair. "I play bass. The acoustic was my grandfather's and I keep it to remind me that there actually were members of my family who weren't drugged up losers."

"I take it you and your grandfather were close?" Bridgette asked.

"Yeah, he taught me to play guitar." Duncan answered. "He died when I was ten and my life has gone downhill ever since. But that's why you're here, right?"

Bridgette nodded and smiled. "Alright, lets get started shall we?" she said. Duncan nodded and they got to work.

Hours later, after writing and reviewing what seemed like a thousand papers they brought their study session to an end. It had been a productive day and Duncan was now only four book reports and three big essays away from passing Advanced English.

"Well, you should probably go." Duncan said, once they had packed everything up. "My mom hates it when I have people over and don't tell her, and well, I kinda forgot to tell her this time." He grinned and gave a guilty little shrug.

They stood to leave, but before they had even made it to the hall Bridgette paused. "Duncan, wait. There's something I have to ask-" Her sentence died in her throat as his lips pressed against hers sending a wave of warmth coursing through her body. For a moment they embraced, unaware and uncaring of anything around them. And then, as if realizing what they were doing from afar, they broke apart, both of them breathing heavily.

"Okay, so what did you want to ask me?" Duncan gasped, after a moment of silence.

"Nothing important." Bridgette said, leaving before he could respond.

On Monday, Bridgette arrived at school hoping to explain to Duncan what had happened at his house. They had kissed and it had been passionate, but they couldn't allow this to go on. Bridgette was in a relationship with Geoff. What would he think if he found out about this? What would Nikki, and Gwen, and everyone else think for that matter? Perhaps worst of all, what would the Kings think? Bridgette shuddered at that thought. This had to be ended and it had to be ended now.

Bridgette found Duncan in their usual classroom, sitting in his usual desk, head bent over a paper he was writing. He looked up as Bridgette entered.

"Hey Blondy." he said, with a grin. "What's up?"

"We need to talk." she said, without bothering to say hello. "About what happened at your place on Saturday."

"Okay, look, I was wrong. I shouldn't have kissed you like that." Duncan admitted. "But you can't deny there's something between us. I know I said you're not my type, but the more time I spend with you the more I want to keep spending time with you."

"Duncan we can't, I can't." Bridgette said, trying to remain calm. "I'm dating Geoff. I can't just betray him like this."

"Who says he has to know?" Duncan asked, perplexed. "I'm not gonna tell him, are you?"

"No, but somebody else might and that's what concerns me." Bridgette said.

"Bridgette." He spoke her name in a whisper, sending shivers down her spine. "Please, do this for me. Be with me, we can keep it a secret. No one ever has to know. You make me feel like I can do anything and I don't want to lose that. Please Bridgette, don't become like all the other people in my life, don't abandon me."

Bridgette felt a great swell of sympathy for Duncan in that moment and realized there was no way out of this. If she said no now, she would be abandoning him like so many others already had. And that was simply not something she could do. It would be hard, but she would do it, she would give Duncan what he needed.

"Okay Duncan, I won't leave." she said. "But no one can know about this, especially Geoff, understand?"

Duncan nodded and pulled her close. For a moment they simply stared into each others eyes and then they kissed again, timidly at first, but then instinct overcame them and the kiss became more passionate. Their embrace became more passionate as well, Duncan twining his fingers in Bridgette's hair, Bridgette pulling up his shirt.

The sudden clatter of a plastic pop bottle hitting the floor broke them apart in time to see a lock of long brown hair disappearing around the corner. They had been seen and Bridgette was certain she knew by who.

**A/N: Okay, so...yeah. Remember that romantic tension I mentioned last chapter? Well, that was it, or at least the beginning of it. Uh, a couple of other things I should mention. First, Bridgette already knew Duncan played bass, cuz, if you will recall, she saw him with the Gangbusters at Owen's party. Second, I decided to make Duncan a little more vulnerable than usual because it works well for this story. **


	16. A Treacherous Path

Bridgette and Duncan had been caught in the act and Bridgette knew who had seen them. Her only problem was confronting the individual about it as she was certain the person who had seen her and Duncan wouldn't be alone. She was certain of this fact because she was sure it was Heather who had seen them and Heather was never without her gang of brain-dead fashion zombies. It was not a confrontation Bridgette was looking forward to, but she had to do it. If she let Heather run around the school unchecked, with that knowledge, the results could be disastrous. But before she could confront Heather she had to talk with Duncan again. If they were going to be in this secret relationship they would have to have some ground rules and not making out in public had to be the top of the list.

Later that day, Bridgette met with Duncan again in their usual classroom. "Okay, so we have got to be more careful about where we make out." Bridgette said, without waiting for Duncan to speak. "That was a close call we had this morning."

"Whoa, what's the big deal Bridgette?" Duncan asked, perplexed. "Who cares if someone saw us? It's not like they can do anything about it."

"Yeah, except it was Heather who saw us." Bridgette snapped. "And that manipulative bitch will make sure the whole fucking school knows if we don't stop her."

"What makes you so sure it's her?" Duncan asked, with a skeptical look.

"Because spying on us is exactly the kind of thing Heather would do." Bridgette said.

"Okay, so what do you want to do?" Duncan asked, still unsure if he believed Bridgette's theory. "You want me to make her disappear or something?"

"No, I'll talk to her." Bridgette said, though she looked less than confident. "Look, we just need to be more careful okay. No one can find out what we're doing, it would be very bad for both of us if they did."

Duncan nodded and they left the room, going their separate ways so as to not appear suspicious. Bridgette made her way down the hall, heading for her final class. However, before she could make it there she was stopped by the last person she wanted to see. Heather was waiting for her at the end of the hall.

Bridgette froze, torn between her need to confront Heather and her desire to run. Heather was not alone, but that was not surprising. Heather never went anywhere without her gang. The problem was she had the whole gang with her at the moment, while Bridgette was alone, with no one to back her up if this turned ugly. And the chances of that were a lot higher than Bridgette cared to admit. But she had to deal with this and now was as good a time as any, so she swallowed her fear and doubt and continued down the hall.

"Hello Bridgette." Heather said, smiling as Bridgette approached. Her voice was falsely sweet as she spoke, that dangerous innocence which was a cover for the sarcasm. "Where are you off to in such a hurry?"

"I'm heading to class, duh." Bridgette replied, hoping her look didn't betray her fear.

"Class huh?" Heather said, her smile becoming a smirk. "You sure you're not on your way to do something else...like Duncan?"

Bridgette tensed. "I have no idea what you're talking about Heather." she said, not meeting Heather's gaze.

"Oh really?" Heather said, still smirking. "So that wasn't you and Duncan I saw sucking face this morning? Huh, that's strange cuz the people I saw looked just like you and Duncan. Care to explain that?"

"Why do you care?" Bridgette asked. "Why does it matter to you so much what everyone else in this school does?"

"Because, I like to have weapons, should I need them." Heather said.

"Well, I can't help you Heather." Bridgette said, moving to pass Heather. But she found her way blocked by Alejandro, Justin, and Tyler, all of whom wore smug looks of superiority. Bridgette turned to head back the way she had come, only to find that Lindsey, Caitlin, Tricia, and the Clones had closed ranks around her. She was trapped and at Heather's mercy, fully aware of how little mercy Heather had.

"Come on guys, I just want to go to class." Bridgette said, trying to keep the desperation out of her voice.

"Oh, you're gonna go to class alright, surfer girl." Alejandro said, his voice full of malice. "And you're gonna get a good hard lesson in where your place is in the social hierarchy."

"What do you want from me?" Bridgette asked, her voice small and scared.

"We want the truth, for one thing." Tyler said, with a glance at Heather, who nodded. "But we also have a request to make of you."

Bridgette was perplexed. What could the popular kids possibly want from her? More importantly, did they really think she would do what they wanted?

"What is it you want me to do?" Bridgette asked, staring at Heather as she spoke.

"First tell us it was you and Duncan I saw this morning." Heather said, her eyes alight with sadistic joy.

Bridgette hesitated. She did not want to admit to Heather the truth, but she was certain Heather already knew anyway and was only doing this for sadistic pleasure. "Okay, you're right." Bridgette said, not looking at any of them. "You caught me and Duncan this morning, happy?"

"More than you could know." Heather said, with a grin. "Now as for the other matter, we require your help with something and you would be wise to accept the offer."

Bridgette flinched, dreading what Heather was about to ask. She knew it was going to be something horrible. Heather wouldn't be asking if it was some simple, unembarassing task she could do herself.

"We want you to break in to the school's academic records." Heather said. "You see Lindsey here, and Tyler, and well...me, we have, shall we say less than satisfactory grades and we won't be able to graduate unless their changed. Also, there's been a few disciplinary acts that reflect poorly upon most of us."

Bridgette was stunned. She had expected something horrible, but this was worse. What Heather was asking her to do was not only horrible, it was criminal. And Heather was asking Bridgette to do it like it was just a casual activity students participated in all the time.

"You want me to break into the academic records and change your grades so you can graduate, knowing full well what could happen to me if I were caught?" Bridgette asked.

Heather nodded, her smile betraying no hint of doubt.

"Well, I'm afraid I'm going to have to say no." Bridgette said, glaring at Heather with all the fury she could muster.

"I'm certain you want to reconsider that." Heather said, her glare equally as hateful.

"Yeah and whys that, you bitch?" Bridgette asked, her anger starting to boil over.

"Because I'll tell." Heather said, brushing aside Bridgette's insult like she hadn't heard it. "I'll tell the whole fucking school about you and Duncan. And we both know that's something you don't want to happen, is it? I mean, what would poor Geoff think? What would my dear cousin Nikki and her little goth bitch think? Don't push me Bridgette. You're on a very treacherous path at the moment, one that will lead to your demise if your not careful."

Bridgette had gone ridged. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest, her system flooded with adrenaline as fear and anger battled within her. Heather was not lying, she would tell the entire school and she was right about how it would destroy Bridgette as well. If Geoff and the others found out about what she was doing with Duncan, it would be the end of their friendship. But if Bridgette went through with Heather's request it would be the end of education. She would be expelled and she would lose everything anyway. What could she do? She was trapped and neither means of escape was good. But she had to make a decision, one way or the other, and she knew what her decision would be. She would do what Heather wanted.

"Alright Heather, I'll do it." she said, her voice barely a whisper.

"Excellent." said Heather, with a victorious smile. That was more than Bridgette could take. Without warning she launched herself at Heather, intent on kicking her ass. But before she got there Alejandro swung out and backhanded her across the face, sending her sprawling.

"You insolent little bitch." Heather growled, glaring at Bridgette like she was a piece of trash. "How dare you attempt to lay your hands on me." She glanced at the others before continuing. "Kick her ass. Make sure she knows her fucking place." She grinned, and her gang closed in on Bridgette, all of them eager to teach Bridgette a lesson.

But before the beating could begin a gruff female voice shouted, "HEY, HEATHER, YOU WANNA FIGHT, THEN FIGHT ME!"

Heather froze, her eyes going wide. The entire group turned to see a tall, muscular girl storming down the hall towards them. Bridgette had seen the girl before but had no idea who she was. But it seemed like Heather did and she was not comforted by that fact.

Heather quickly arranged her features into a look of defiant innocence and turned to face the girl, who was now right beside her. "Why Eva, long time no see." Heather said, her voice wavering slightly. "Where have you been, hiding under a bridge?"

"Cut the bullshit Heather." Eva snapped. "You know as well as anyone here you can't take me, even with your posse of bimbos and your jock asshole boyfriend. Now why don't you all leave the new girl alone and move along." She cracked her knuckles menacingly to show she meant business.

Heather looked like she wanted to say something, but she remained silent. After taking a moment to collect herself she turned and stalked off, her gang following her lead. Eva watched them go with a look of disgust before turning to Bridgette who was still on the floor.

"Good riddance to those assholes." Eva said, extending her hand to Bridgette, who took it. With a quick jerk Eva hauled Bridgette to her feet, smiling as she did so. She was a hulking mountain of a girl, who clearly spent a great deal of time in the gym. "So, what were they ganging up on you for?" she asked, bringing Bridgette back to reality.

"It was nothing important." Bridgette lied, hoping Eva wouldn't see the truth.

"Yeah well, whatever the reason you gotta be careful around those guys, especially Heather." Eva said, her voice full of contempt.

"Yeah, I know. I've dealt with them before." Bridgette said, touching her lip, which was swollen and bloody where Alejandro's hand had struck.

"Well, then you know what I'm talking about." Eva said. "I'm Eva by the way. Eva Grey-Mendez."

"Bridgette Wells." Bridgette said, with a friendly nod. "Thanks for the help, by the way."

"No problem." Eva said. "Any chance to scare the shit out of Heather, I'll take it."

"Why is she so scared of you?" Bridgette asked, though she could guess.

"She tried bossing me around one time freshman year and I beat the shit out of her." Eva replied, with a smile. "She's been scared of me ever since. Hasn't stopped her from trying to get me back, mind you, but she has yet to gain her revenge."

Bridgette noted how proud Eva was of this fact and made a mental note to always stay on Eva's good side. The two of them headed down the hall towards the exit, as school was now almost out for the day. They were met by Geoff, Nikki, and Gwen out front, who were surprised to see Bridgette with Eva.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Bridgette asked, moving to stand beside Geoff.

"Not much." Nikki replied. "What happened to your face?"

"I had a little run in with Heather and her gang." Bridgette said, declining to explain why she had been confronting Heather.

"Oh, that bitch!" Nikki cried. "I swear to God I'm going to kick her ass one of these days."

"Don't worry about it Nik." Bridgette said, with a smile. "Eva took care of them."

Nikki smiled and nodded at Eva, who returned the gesture, before turning to leave. Bridgette thanked her again and then she, Nikki, Geoff, and Gwen left as well. But, though she was happy and smiling on the outside, Bridgette was falling apart inside. She had agreed to help Heather, adding yet another burden to her already massive pile. She wasn't sure if she could do it, but she had to try, because now that she had stood up to them Heather and her gang would be trying harder than ever to make her life hell.

**A/N: Okay, so Bridgette's plan to confront Heather turned into Heather confronting her, but whatever. Either way it works for the future of the story. Also, just so you know, it may be a little while before I get the next chapter up because it's probably gonna take me a little while to figure out how I want to write it. So, sorry in advance for that. Anyway, thanks for reading and keep up the reviews.**


	17. Behind Closed Doors

Bridgette spent the rest of the week trying to find a way out of her deal with Heather. But, try as she may, she simply could not figure out how to do so without bringing Heather's wrath upon her. She couldn't go to her friends for help, because that would risk them finding out about her and Duncan. And she couldn't go to Duncan, because she was afraid of what he might do to Heather. Not that she cared about Heather, but she didn't want Duncan to end up in juvi again. It was extremely frustrating to be stuck like this, with no way out of a bad situation. But there was one positive, Heather had not given Bridgette an ultimatum on the exact time frame for this arrangement, and so Bridgette had time to plan before acting one way or the other.

On Saturday she received a call from Duncan, making her forget about her problems with Heather. They had decided to move their study sessions to Duncan's house, on weekends, mainly to avoid being caught by anyone else. However their sessions were becoming more about them and less about Duncan's studying. The more time they spent together, the more they fell for each other and it was clear to both of them that this was no longer merely a working relationship.

"Hey babe." Duncan said, his voice crackling on the phone. "We gonna 'study' today?"

"Yes Duncan, I'll be right over." Bridgette answered, smiling at the sarcastic way he said the word study.

"Okay, see you soon." Duncan's voice replied. Bridgette hung up and gathered her supplies before heading out the door. She arrived at Duncan's house a few minutes later, finding him waiting for her on the front porch. He had headphones on and waved as she got out of the car.

"What're you listening to?" Bridgette asked, as she reached the steps.

"_My War_ by Black Flag." Duncan replied, with a grin. "It's a fucking sick album."

"I'll have to take your word for it." Bridgette said, returning his grin. "I don't listen to a lot of hardcore."

"Yeah, well, at least you know it's hardcore." Duncan muttered. "Most people I know just call it noise, which is fucking irritating. Black Flag were one of the best bands of the eighties hardcore movement and they remain one of the best bands to this-" His sentence died as Bridgette kissed him, his whole body relaxing at her touch.

After a moment of silent kissing Bridgette pulled away and smiled. "I know Duncan, it sucks when no one understands you, but I'm sure they will someday."

Duncan smiled and nodded. "Thanks for that Bridgette. I'm sure you're right." he said, before turning to enter the house. Bridgette smiled again and followed him in, a warm feeling spreading through her as she once again thought how nice it was to be making a difference in Duncan's life.

They spent the rest of the afternoon alternating between studying and making out. By the time Bridgette left, at five thirty that evening, there was no doubt that their relationship was now far more than simply tutor and student.

* * *

The next day Bridgette got a call from Geoff, asking her to meet him at Bowl-o-Rama. Having completed her homework at Duncan's and not wanting to give Geoff a reason to be suspicious she agreed, despite the fact that she really just wanted to stay at home and relax. She arrived at Bowl-o-Rama at one that afternoon, finding Geoff waiting for her in the parking lot, along with Nikki, Gwen, Trent, Owen, Izzy, and Jude.

"Hey babe." Geoff said, as she approached, a smile spreading across his face.

"Hey back." Bridgette said, wrapping her arms around his waist. She looked at him for a moment, comparing him to Duncan. It wasn't easy to see a reason to cheat on someone as good looking as Geoff, but there were things he didn't have that Duncan did. But this was not the time to be thinking about that. No, now was the time to hang with her friends, and let Duncan remain a secret.

"Well, let's head in, shall we?" Nikki said, giving Bridgette and Geoff a look of mock annoyance. Bridgette grinned and she and the others followed Nikki in.

"So, where are Starr and Wyatt and Marlowe and Zeke and LeShawna?" Bridgette asked, as they got their shoes.

"Wyatt is guitar shopping with Marlowe, Zeke and LeShawna both had to work, and Starr said she wasn't feeling well." Geoff answered.

"Starr get's sick a lot, doesn't she?" Bridgette asked, glancing at Jude. This was the fourth time since meeting her that Starr had been absent from group activities and Bridgette was starting to worry that something was wrong.

"Yeah, she does, actually." Jude answered. "She has some kind of disorder that affects her immune system, so she's more susceptible to bugs than the rest of us, you know bra?"

"Yeah, I understand." Bridgette said, her tone sympathetic. "It must really suck for Starr to have to deal with that all the time."

"Yeah, but she copes." said Jude. "And I try to help as much as I can..." He paused for a moment and then continued. "Anyway, let's get to bowling. Feeling sorry for Starr won't help her feel any better."

The others agreed and they set about collecting balls. A few minutes later they were bowling and all depressing subjects were forgotten. They bowled for the next three hours before heading home, everyone except Bridgette and Geoff, who had made plans to go out for dinner. It was a chance for the two of them to be together alone and given what had happened in recent days, Bridgette was glad for the time alone. She wasn't sure how long she would be able to keep her relationship with Duncan a secret from Geoff and was determined to spend as much time with him as possible. If he ever found out the truth it would be the end of their relationship and any time spent alone would have been a waste.

* * *

The following afternoon Bridgette met with Duncan at his house, breaking their new rule about only meeting on Saturdays. Despite her desire to spend time with Geoff whenever possible, Bridgette also had a responsibility to Duncan. True their relationship was now more than tutor/student, but Bridgette had agreed to be Duncan's tutor first and no matter what she would make sure that obligation was fulfilled before all else. As such, this meeting was strictly business, or at least it was supposed to be. But Bridgette had begun to learn that even the best laid plans can often go astray.

She and Duncan had been working for nearly an hour when he leaned over and kissed her. It was nothing shocking, they had kissed hundreds of times before, but there was something different in the way he kissed her this time that made her pause. It was as if Duncan was asking for something with his kiss, something he didn't feel comfortable asking verbally. And this uncertainty made Bridgette suddenly uncomfortable, like she was suddenly back at the first day they'd met, afraid of what Duncan might do. For a moment they both sat there on Duncan's bedroom floor, staring at each other like they were strangers. And then, without really knowing what they were doing, Duncan's work was tossed aside and they were intertwined, clothes peeling off like dead skin.

Their lips pressed against each other and Bridgette felt Duncan's fingers unhook her bra. Her head swam with ecstasy, the entire room melting into nothing, leaving only her and Duncan behind. The warmth of her naked body against his was overpowering and she was only vaguely aware that he was in her. And then she felt movement, felt the orgasm she had never felt before, and cried out, her cry breaking them apart.

For several long minutes they lay there, panting, naked on the floor. And then Duncan spoke. "Bridgette I...I'm sorry." His voice wavered, as though he were about to cry, but he managed to gather himself before continuing. "I don't know what that was. I mean, I know we just had sex, but I don't know why. God, I am such a fucking idiot! I practically just raped you. What the fuck is wrong with me?"

"Duncan, shut up." Bridgette said, her eyes meeting his. "I don't know what that was either, but I don't blame you. What we just had it was...well it was quite nice actually, considering it was my first time."

"But I-" Duncan began, but Bridgette silenced him.

"No Duncan, you did not rape me. I allowed it to happen and I'm fine with it." she said, her voice calm and reassuring. Duncan smiled and nodded, though he did not look entirely comforted.

Bridgette guessed that was to be expected and started gathering up her clothes. "Well, I should get going, see you tomorrow." she said, with a smile.

Duncan nodded and Bridgette left, both of them still in shock over what had just happened, although for very different reasons.

* * *

The next day Bridgette arrived at school to find her group of friends waiting for her, as usual. She noted that Starr was back, and briefly wondered how long it would be until Starr got sick again. But she quickly pushed the thought aside. There were other things on her mind, namely the memory of the sex she had had with Duncan the night before and how she was going to avoid telling the others about it. A small part of her wanted to tell them, but she knew she couldn't do it; the fear of their reaction was enough to stop her. Still, it was obvious from the looks on their faces that they knew something was up.

"What's got you in such a good mood this morning?" Gwen asked, with a quizzical glance at Bridgette.

"Just thinking about the plans Geoff and I made the other night." Bridgette answered, doing her best to arrange her features into a look of innocence.

"Plans huh?" Nikki said, with a grin. "What kind of plans?"

"It's none of your business what Bridgette and I planned." Geoff said, answering before Bridgette could think of a response.

"Ah, but you have it all wrong my good man." Jude said, in his best imitation of a British accent. "It is our business to know what our friends are planning."

"Yeah, well not this time okay?" Geoff muttered, draping his arm around Bridgette's shoulders and steering her away from the others.

Bridgette couldn't help chuckling as they walked away, Jude's dramatic shout of "We will know the truth!" echoing in their ears. When they reached Bridgette's locker, Geoff spun her around to face him. "So, about those plans...?" he asked, his voice trailing off as Bridgette moved in to kiss him. For a moment their lips touched and then Bridgette pulled away, aware of someone watching them. She turned and saw Duncan, half hidden in the shadows, his look one of surly approval. Fortunately, Geoff did not appear to see him and Duncan made no move to intervene.

Bridgette turned back to Geoff, who was looking at her with concern. "What's wrong babe?" he asked, concern in his voice as well.

"Nothing, I just thought I heard something." Bridgette answered, not quite meeting his eyes. He gave her a puzzled look, but did not inquire further. He smiled and turned to leave, only to find his way blocked by Courtney and Jen.

"Oh God, what do you two want?" Geoff asked, rolling his eyes.

"Well, as you know, school elections are coming up and I was hoping to speak with Bridgette about running for treasurer." Courtney answered, with a forced smile.

"What makes you think Bridgette would interested in that?" Geoff asked, his voice rising.

"I'm sure Bridgette can answer for herself, Geoff." Courtney snapped.

"Yes, I can and my answer is no." Bridgette said, with a cold glare.

"Bridgette please, it would be so nice to have you as part of the student council." Courtney said, a note of pleading in her voice.

"I'm sorry Courtney, but unless you and Jen can learn to treat Nikki and Gwen as friends, I want nothing to do with you." Bridgette said, still glaring.

"Fine, have it your way then." Courtney snapped. With that she stalked off, Jen following in her wake. Jen gave Bridgette a cold glare as she stalked past, only to pause a few feet away and make her way back to Bridgette. She pulled Bridgette aside and leaned in so Geoff wouldn't hear.

"That was very well played Bridgette." Jen whispered. "But just so you know, we know who you've been tutoring lately and if you cross us again we will tell Geoff." She smiled and walked off leaving Bridgette with a hollow feeling in her chest.

* * *

Later that day Bridgette made her way over to Duncan's, intent on telling him what had happened with Jen and Courtney. But when she arrived at his house, Duncan was not there. This was worrisome, as Duncan was always at home if he wasn't at school or hanging out with the Kings. Where could he be? Was he in trouble again? Had something happened to his mom? Was he still at school, waiting for her there? Or was there something else at work here? As these questions spun in her head Bridgette began to panic. What if Duncan had been hurt by seeing her and Geoff in the hall? What if he really wasn't okay with her continuing to date Geoff and he had run off after seeing them kissing? No, that didn't make sense, Duncan wasn't the kind of person who ran away from his problems. He was the kind of person who stayed and fought to the bitter end. But if that was true, then where was he?

By now, Bridgette's panic was threatening to consume her, but just as she was about to descend into a total freak out Duncan walked up. Bridgette breathed a sigh of relief and then rounded on Duncan with look of fury in her eyes.

"Where the hell have you been?" she screamed, making Duncan jump.

"I was still at school, where were you?" Duncan answered, after collecting himself.

"I was here, freaking out because you weren't." Bridgette snapped. "I thought something had happened to you or that you were angry about seeing me and Geoff kissing this morning, and yes, I saw you watching us."

"Well, I'm fine okay?" Duncan said, surprised by how concerned Bridgette was. "And why would I have a problem with seeing you and Geoff kiss? He is your boyfriend, isn't he?"

"Well yes, but...I guess I just thought it might upset you since I'm technically in a relationship with you too." Bridgette said.

"Bridgette, we talked about this, I don't give a fuck if you keep seeing him." Duncan said, with a grin. "In fact, that's part of what makes this fun for me."

Bridgette gave him dark look and then shrugged, deciding it wasn't worth it to comment. "Anyway, let's go inside, we have something to discuss." she muttered, turning towards the house.

Duncan walked past her and fished his key out of his pocket. He unlocked the front door and lead the way in. Once Bridgette was inside, Duncan closed the door and turned to face her. "Okay, so what is it we need to discuss?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Courtney and Jen are on to us." Bridgette said, bluntly.

"What do you mean they're on to us?" Duncan asked, confused.

"I mean, they know what we're up to, just like Heather and her gang do." Bridgette answered. "They know I'm doing more than just tutoring you."

"I fail to see how this is problem." Duncan said, with a shrug.

"It's a problem because now we have two more people who could potentially tell Geoff and the others about us." Bridgette said. "Also, we don't know how they found out, which means Heather could already be spreading the rumor, in which case we're screwed."

"Bridgette, don't worry about it." Duncan said. "I won't let anyone do anything to jeopardize our relationship or your relationship with Geoff. I'll have the Kings talk to Courtney and Jen, okay? Now let's go study."

Bridgette smiled, nodded, and followed Duncan to his room. They studied for an hour and then Bridgette pulled off her shirt. Duncan grinned and pulled her closer. And then, it happened again, only this time the sex was planned.

They went at for nearly an hour this time before Bridgette had to leave. Duncan saw her off and as she drove away from his house she could not help feeling comforted. Duncan said he would take care of it and she had no doubt he would. Still, it made her feel uneasy to know that there were people she didn't trust who knew, or least could guess at what went on between her and Duncan when they were behind closed doors.

**A/N: Okay, so you probably noticed I wrote this chapter in a slightly different format than usual. This is because I wanted to clearly differentiate between the moments when Bridgette is with Geoff and the moments when she is with Duncan. Also, yes, I did make Bridgette and Duncan have sex. This is one of those things that works for the story and you'll see why later. Finally the disorder Jude mentions Starr having is called Hyper IgM syndrome, which can cause a higher than normal susceptibility to various types of infections (I just threw that in there for fun and you can look it up yourself if you wanna know more).**


	18. Suspicions & Speculations

The first thing on Bridgette's mind when she arrived at school the next day was a desire to know if Duncan had kept his promise to have the Kings deal with Courtney and Jen. Truth be told, she had wondered about it all night and hadn't gotten an abundance of sleep. But it was hard for her to think about anything else. The more people who knew about her and Duncan, the greater the chances were that Geoff would find out. As such, her first goal was to find Duncan, but she was sidetracked by Owen and Izzy, who met her at her locker.

"Hey Bridge, how are you this morning?" Izzy asked, flashing her wide grin.

"Good, I guess." Bridgette answered, not turning to look at the other two.

"You sure you're okay?" Owen asked. "You look like you didn't get enough sleep."

"Uh, yeah, I had a bad night." Bridgette answered, truthfully.

"Bad dreams or something?" Izzy asked.

"Yeah, something like that." Bridgette replied. "Look, I gotta go, so I'll talk to you guys later okay?"

"Okay, see ya." Izzy said with another grin. Bridgette nodded and headed off down the hall, glancing back over her shoulder in time to see Owen and Izzy exchange a look of concern. For half a second she wondered if they already knew, but she quickly pushed the thought aside and continued on her search for Duncan.

A short time later she found him, coming up from the boiler room. A wave of relief washed over her, if Duncan had been in the boiler room he had certainly been speaking with the Kings. Duncan didn't seem to notice her and seemed to be preoccupied with something.

"Duncan." Bridgette called, walking up to him.

"Hey Bridgette." he muttered, not looking at her.

"Is something wrong?" Bridgette asked, her voice full of concern. "Did you talk to the Kings about Courtney and Jen?"

"Yes, and they said no." Duncan muttered, shooting her a quick glance.

"What do you mean they said no?" Bridgette asked, panic starting to rise in her chest.

"I mean they said no, how is that not clear?" Duncan snapped, his anger getting the better of him. "They said this is a problem we have to work out on our own."

"And how do they expect us to do that?" Bridgette asked, her tone incredulous.

"I don't know, but we'll figure something out." Duncan replied, his tone soothing. "So don't spend the whole day worrying about it, okay."

"Okay." Bridgette replied, with a nod. She turned and left for class, feeling even less reassured than she had that morning. Why were the Kings not willing to help her and Duncan this time? And did Izzy and Owen already know the truth? Was one of those who knew already spreading the rumor around the school? And if someone was, had Geoff already heard? Again, she had all the questions and none of the answers and she was becoming ever more convinced that she would go crazy if this cycle didn't somehow relent.

Later that day, Bridgette met Geoff and the gang at Bowl-o-Rama. She had spent the entire day distracted by her worries and her friends had noticed, although none of them had questioned her since Izzy and Owen had that morning. But Bridgette could tell they were itching to grill her, so she allowed Nikki and Gwen to pull her aside without a fight. They entered the girls bathroom, LeShawna, Izzy, and Starr joining them.

"Alright Bridgette, what's up with you today?" Nikki asked, staring at Bridgette with furious intensity. "You've been acting weired all day and it's starting to creep me out."

"Um, I guess I don't feel well or something." Bridgette said, aware of how lame her explanation sounded.

"That's bullshit." Gwen muttered, with a glance at Nikki. "Don't lie to us Bridgette, we can see through you."

Bridgette shivered at Gwen's words. They had her, they knew, the only question now was how to get out of this without confirming anything. "Like I said, I don't feel good." she said, with an innocent smile.

"Come on Bridge, you don't really expect us to buy that shit do you?" LeShawna asked. "You don't have to lie, we're your friends after all."

"I'm not lying!" Bridgette screamed, unable to take their pestering any longer. "You think there's some big mystery with me but there's not, okay. Just fucking leave me alone." With that she stormed out of the bathroom, leaving the others behind.

"Maybe she's right." Izzy suggested, once Bridgette was out of earshot. "Maybe she's just on her period or something."

"No, there's something more to this." Nikki said, with a grim nod at Gwen. "There's something going on with Bridgette and I will find out what."

The next day Bridgette arrived at school to find only her male friends waiting for her. Her first thought was that she'd upset the girls during their confrontation at Bowl-o-Rama the day before. Her second thought was that they were off planning some intricate means of getting the truth from her. Neither possibility was comforting and she hoped the girls were simply late.

"Hey babe." Geoff said as Bridgette approached. He was smiling, but the smile didn't reach his eyes, which made Bridgette freeze.

"Hey, where are Nikki, Gwen, and the others?" Bridgette asked, glancing from Geoff to Trent to Owen to Jude to Wyatt and back to Geoff.

"Don't know." Trent answered. "Nikki said something about needing to talk to the girls in private and they took off."

The guys all stared at her, their stares asking questions that made her uncomfortable. For a very long, uncomfortable moment no one spoke and then Geoff did. "What exactly did you talk to the girls about at Bowl-o-Rama yesterday?" he asked.

"Nothing important." Bridgette answered, doing her best to maintain eye contact with her boyfriend.

"Well it certainly seemed important to Nikki." Geoff said. "But, as your boyfriend, I'll take your word for it."

"I'd appreciate that, thanks." Bridgette said. "Anyway, we should get to class, bell's about to ring."

Geoff nodded and they headed off to class, parting ways outside Mr. McLean's classroom. Bridgette and Jude entered to find Nikki and Gwen in their usual seats. Bridgette smiled at them as she and Jude took their seats and they returned the gesture, though Bridgette was certain she saw something else in their looks, something that made her cringe.

* * *

That afternoon, while Bridgette was tutoring Duncan, her friends met to discuss her suspicious behavior and the possible reasons behind it. Geoff was not there, as he had other things to do, but Nikki, Gwen, LeShawna, Izzy, Starr, Marlowe, Wyatt, Jude, Owen, Trent, and Ezekiel were all present. Nikki had called the meeting and they were convened at her house.

"Okay so, I called this little meeting because we have something very important to discuss." Nikki said, standing at the head of the table. The others were seated around the Wong family's dining room table.

"And, just so we're clear, what might this important issue be, pray tell?" Zeke asked.

"The issue is Bridgette." Nikki replied bluntly. "She's been acting strange and secretive lately and it's starting to worry me."

"Yeah, I've noticed that too." said Starr. "But what do you want us to do about it? More importantly, do we have a right to go prying into Bridgette's life?"

"Technically no, we don't." Nikki answered. "But she is our friend and we have an obligation to make sure everything is okay with her. I mean, she is new here, who else is she supposed to turn to?"

"How about her parents? Or the school counselor?" Wyatt suggested, with a glance around the room. "I mean, I get your point Nikki, but Starr is right we shouldn't just go prying when we have no proof something is wrong."

"Okay, that's all fine and good, but what if this is an issue she can't, or won't, discuss with her parents or a counselor?" Nikki asked.

"What are you suggesting Nikki?" Owen asked. "That Bridgette is shagging Geoff? I thought that's what we wanted when we hooked them up."

"Actually we just wanted them to have a relationship." Nikki said. "And what I'm suggesting is that Bridgette is not remaining faithful to that relationship."

"You think she's cheating on Geoff?" Jude asked. "With who?"

"Duncan." Nikki answered. "I think she's cheating on Geoff with Duncan. And not just cheating, but having sex as well."

For a moment the room was silent as the group digested what they had just heard. And then Trent spoke, "No, that can't be it. Bridgette wouldn't cheat on Geoff, not with Duncan, not with anyone else. How can you even say something like that Nik?"

"Well, we may be her friends, but how well do really know her?" Nikki asked. "I mean she is new here and despite the fact that we've been hanging out with her there's still a lot about her we don't know."

"Yeah, but come on Nikki, she's not Heather." said Trent.

"That's true, but that doesn't mean she can't be like Heather." said Gwen, speaking for the first time and addressing her boyfriend directly. Trent's shoulders slumped, all the fight going out of him. It was obvious that the majority of the room was on Nikki's side.

"Okay, so say she is cheating on him then shouldn't Geoff be here for the discussion?" Jude asked, glancing around the room.

"No, it's good that he's not." said Nikki. "This is just a theory at the moment, just speculation on our part. We can't go telling Geoff anything until we know for sure ourselves."

"And how are we going to get any proof?" Zeke asked, still perplexed.

"We watch and we wait." Nikki replied. "If my theory is correct Bridgette and Duncan's relationship won't stay a secret forever. Eventually someone will spill the beans."

* * *

That evening, unaware of her friends suspicions, Bridgette met Geoff, Trent, Gwen, Nikki, and LeShawna at the movie theater near their school. A highly praised horror movie was playing and they had made plans to see it several days earlier. Truthfully, Nikki and Gwen were the only ones who actually wanted to see the movie, but Bridgette and the others had come to get Nikki and Gwen to stop talking about it.

"So, are you guys excited or what?" Nikki asked, positively giddy with anticipation.

"Not really." Bridgette answered, with a sullen glance at Geoff. She had just come from another study session with Duncan, which had involved more sex, and she would have given anything to be back at Duncan's house instead of the movies.

"You didn't have to come you know." Gwen muttered, with a glance at Nikki. "If you have something more important to do, feel free to leave."

Bridgette tensed, picking up on Gwen's subtle hint. Unfortunately, it seemed Geoff had to, because he was looking at the three of them with a hint of suspicion.

"Is there something going on here that I should know about?" Geoff asked, his gaze sweeping across the three girls.

"No, there's nothing." Nikki answered, with a grin. She flashed a look of warning at Gwen, who gave an innocent smile.

"Well, alright then, shall we head in?" LeShawna said, herding the group towards the door before any more questions could be asked. Bridgette allowed herself to fall into step with the others but she had feeling something was up with Nikki and Gwen. Was it possible they knew about her and Duncan? And if they did, why were they playing games, why not just ask? Did they not trust her? Or were they simply testing her to see if she'd crack? Whatever the reason, Bridgette was not able to think about it now, the movie was starting and she forced herself to watch.

After the movie the gang went their separate ways, all except Geoff and Bridgette, who was giving him a ride home. As they made their way to her car, Bridgette noticed a man walking ahead of them who seemed familiar. As the man stepped off the curb to cross the street a piece of paper slipped from his hand. Bridgette rushed forward and scooped the paper off the ground, intending to give it back to its owner.

"Sir." she called. "Sir, you dropped this." The man did not turn around and seemed not hear her. "Sir." she called again, but the man continued to ignore her.

"Let it go Bridgette, he obviously doesn't care." Geoff muttered.

Bridgette shrugged, deciding Geoff was right. She looked at the paper, curious about why the man hadn't responded to her attempts to return it. What she saw made her blood freeze. Written in a hand she recognized was a message, one she hoped never to get...

_I know the truth about you and Duncan, and I will tell unless you give me what I want_.

**A/N: Bum bum bum! Hopefully I wrote that last part in way that will make the revelation a surprise, but I have feeling most of you will figure it out before then. Also, although this fic focuses on Bridgette it was neccessary for the way the story plays out to have the section in this chapter in which she was not involved. Sorry for the wait.**


	19. They Who Know the Truth

Bridgette spent the rest of the night agonizing about the note. She knew who had written it, but she couldn't figure out how he had learned about her and Duncan. She and Duncan had gone to great lengths to ensure their relationship was kept secret so how had he figured it out? And what did he want from her in return for keeping the secret? Bridgette was pretty sure she already knew, but the thought horrified her and she was certain she would not be able to accept the request. Unfortunately she could see no other way out of the situation and he would come for her eventually anyway. With this knowledge in mind Bridgette made her decision, she would confront Mr. McLean and demand to know how he had discovered the truth.

The next day Bridgette arrived at school intent on confronting Mr. McLean, but she was struggling with herself about her decision. She had to know how he had discovered the truth, but she was afraid of meeting with him, especially after what had happened the last time they had met alone. She was also keenly aware that she had no way to prove that Mr. McLean knew anything, other than the note, which could have been forged. But her desire to know the truth was stronger than her fear, and she was determined to meet with Mr. McLean no matter what. Still, she could not keep her uncertainty off her face as she met with her friends, something Nikki picked up immediately.

"Something wrong Bridgette?" Nikki asked. "You look really worried about something."

"No, I'm good." Bridgette lied, not quite meeting Nikki's gaze.

"She's lying." Gwen muttered, with a glance at Nikki.

"Excuse me?" Bridgette asked, honestly offended by Gwen's observation. "What do you mean I'm lying? I have nothing to lie about."

"You're not okay Bridgette." Gwen answered. "Something is bothering you and you just don't want to tell us what it is."

Bridgette hesitated a moment, not sure how to respond to Gwen's accusation. Finally she sighed, realizing she had no way out. "Okay, Gwen's right, I'm lying." she admitted, cringing at the satisfied smiles that crossed the faces of her friends. "But it's not because I don't want to tell you it's because, well...it's because I'm afraid."

"Afraid of what, exactly?" Nikki asked, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"Well, last night after the movie, as Geoff and I were heading to my car we ran into some guy who dropped a note and well, it's from Mr. McLean. He wants to meet with me again and I'm not sure if I want to go." Bridgette said, staring directly at Nikki as she spoke.

"So don't go." Nikki said. "If you're not sure about it you don't have to go and you can just tell McLean you're sorry or whatever. I'm sure it's nothing important anyway."

"Okay, but see, I kind of have a problem." Bridgette said.

"What's so problematic about it?" LeShawna asked, interjecting herself into the conversation. "Just do like Nikki said. Don't go and explain yourself later."

"It's a problem because part of me actually wants to meet with him." Bridgette answered. "There's something very specific he wants to talk about."

"How do you know that?" Nikki asked. Bridgette didn't answer, but she didn't have to, they already knew why she didn't want to tell them about the note.

"There was something personal written in that note, wasn't there?" Gwen asked.

"Yes." Bridgette answered. "But it's not something that concerns any of you."

"What did the note say Bridgette?" Gwen asked, her eyes boring into Bridgette's. "What is it that you're hiding from us?"

"That's the second time you've accused me of hiding things from you Gwen." Bridgette said, anger beginning to rise in her chest. "It's really starting to get on my nerves you know."

"Well, maybe if you'd tell us we wouldn't have to keep asking." Gwen said, visibly struggling to keep her anger in check as well.

"I. Am. Not. Hiding. Anything. From. You." Bridgette snarled through clenched teeth, emphasizing each word with a short pause between them.

"I still think you're lying." Gwen muttered, glaring at Bridgette with a hatred Bridgette had never seen Gwen exude before.

"Fuck you Gwen." Bridgette snapped. "Some friend you are. Do you do this to Nikki? Or LeShawna? Or Izzy? Do you treat them like-" Her sentence was cut short by Gwen's fist as it connected with Bridgette's face.

Quick as lightning Izzy was between them, holding them both back as Nikki and LeShawna moved to calm them. "Whoa, okay, everybody stop." Izzy said, with a warning glance at Bridgette. "You two need to chill out."

Bridgette and Gwen both relaxed, though they continued to glare at each other. Nikki glanced at both of them, her gaze asking the same question that was echoing in Bridgette's mind, _what the hell is going on here? We're friends, aren't we? Why are we fighting?_ But Bridgette knew the answer, Gwen didn't trust her and she could not be friends with someone who questioned the way she lived her life.

After a tense moment of silence, Gwen sighed and shook her head. "Sorry." she muttered, not meeting Bridgette's gaze. "I was out of line and I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

"Save your apologies Gwen." Bridgette snapped. "I've had enough, we're done." With that, she turned and walked away, leaving her friends in a state of shock.

* * *

By that afternoon, most of Bridgette's anger had subsided, but she was still not sure she could be friends with Gwen any longer. The point blank accusations Gwen had made had rattled her and she couldn't help but wonder if the others were thinking the same thing. Was it possible that they knew the truth? Had Heather already begun spreading the rumor around the school? Was that how Mr. McLean had found out? As these questions passed through her mind she was reminded of her original goal for the day. She had been so upset by the confrontation with Gwen that she had forgotten about her desire to question Mr. McLean. But now that she had calmed down she remembered and was suddenly aware that perhaps she shouldn't have driven Gwen away. Because if her meeting with Mr. McLean turned out bad she would need someone to lean on and the fewer friends she had the less comfort she would receive.

Bridgette made her way to Mr. McLean's classroom for the meeting that could prove to be the disaster that exposed her. She arrived to find the room empty. For a moment she panicked, trying to figure out where Mr. McLean could be and then a voice spoke behind her.

"Hello Bridgette. You got my message, I see." Bridgette turned to find Mr. McLean leaning against the lockers on the other side of the hall. He smiled and approached her, sending her backing into his classroom.

"Yeah, I got your message." Bridgette answered. "I'm not sure I know exactly what you were talking about, but I did get the message." She could tell that Mr. McLean knew she was lying about not knowing what his message was about.

"Well, I'm glad you came." Mr. McLean said, with another chilling smile. "It's nice to see how well you and Duncan have connected. I knew the Kings made the right decision when they asked you to tutor him."

"How do you know it was the Kings who asked me?" Bridgette asked.

"I have my ways of finding out things that happen in this school." Mr. McLean said, with yet another smile.

"Is that how you found out about me and Duncan?" Bridgette asked, with a quick glance at the door.

"I'm not sure I know what you're talking about Bridgette." Mr. McLean said.

"Don't lie to me Chris." Bridgette said, her voice deadly serious. "I saw what you wrote in that note. I know that you know about me and Duncan, that I'm cheating on Geoff with him."

Mr. McLean smiled, but did not respond. It was obvious he was not going to make this easy, though Bridgette was hardly surprised by this. She had fully expected him to dance around the subject. That was his style after all, to tease his opponent with bits of information but never give the full story unless it was absolutely necessary.

But Bridgette was in no mood for games. "How did you find out about me and Duncan?" she demanded, staring Mr. McLean directly in the eyes. Still, he did not respond. "Was it Heather?" Bridgette pressed. "Did that treacherous bitch tell you?" Still nothing. "God damn it, tell me how you found out or I swear to God I will expose you for the pervert you are."

Mr. McLean smiled once again. "You are very persistent, aren't you Bridgette?" he asked. "I can see that you will not be satisfied until I give you an answer, so, no it was not Heather who told me, nor was it anyone else at this school."

"Then how, how did you find out?" Bridgette asked again, a note of pleading in her voice this time.

"I have other methods of gathering information." Mr. McLean said. "Observation is a powerful tool when one is trying to gather information."

"Observation?" Bridgette asked, perplexed. "But we only see each other at school, how were you able to observe...oh, my God, the car across the street from Duncan's place." Bridgette gave an involuntary shudder as the realization washed over her. For the past several weeks she and Duncan had noticed a black car parked across the street from Duncan's house. They had never given it much thought however, because they thought it was empty, but it was so obvious now. Mr. McLean had been in that car, watching them, and they had no idea because they couldn't see through the tinted windows. And he had been there for weeks, so he had seen them meeting there over and over again. They thought that meeting at Duncan's house would help them keep their relationship secret, but it had ended up exposing their secret to the one person, other than Geoff and her parents, whom Bridgette had been most afraid of finding out.

"You've been spying on us, haven't you?" she asked, meeting Mr. McLean's gaze just long enough to see his confirmation in his eyes.

"Yes, and I have seen you having sex as well." Mr. McLean said with a twisted smile. "It's knowledge I know you don't want spread around the school. What would everyone think, I wonder, about the successful tutor shacking up with her delinquent charge? But there is a way to maintain the secret, you know. All you have to do is give me what I want and I won't say a word."

Bridgette shuddered, fighting against the fear rising in her chest. "What is it you want from me Chris?" she asked, though she already knew what he was going to say.

"I want you to have sex with me." Mr. McLean said, licking his lips like a toad about to devour a fly. There was a manic gleam in his eyes and he was moving towards her like a man possessed. "I promise I won't hurt you Bridgette, I just want to have you. Just one time, that's all I ask, I swear, just one time."

For a moment Bridgette was almost taken in by his charms, but she shoved the idea away, disgusted with herself for even considering it. "No." she said, standing her ground. "No, Chris, I will never have sex with you, not now, not tomorrow, not ever."

Mr. McLean paused, as if he was letting her words sink in, and then he spoke, his voice savage. "You dare defy me again?" he spat. "No girl has ever said no to me twice, and you won't be the first." With that he lunged at her, only to be sent reeling back as she struck him across the face.

"I'm not like the other girls you've suckered into having sex with you." Bridgette shouted, her voice full of spite and fury. "I will not bend to your games Chris, I will not fall for your charms. So stay away from me or I will report you to the authorities."

"Have it your way then." Mr. McLean said, with another twisted grin. "I gave you your chance and you spat in my face. I hope you're prepared to become the biggest outcast in this school, because tomorrow I will have Heather and her girls tell the entire school. You're done for Bridgette, no one will love or befriend the girlfriend of the most worthless piece of shit delinquent in this town. Your friends will turn on you and you will be alone. Now get the fuck out of my classroom."

Bridgette obeyed, leaving the room with Mr. McLean's words echoing in her ears. She knew he was right. Her friends would turn their backs on her and once word got to her parents she would be grounded for the rest of her life or worse, she would end up being kicked out of her house. Her life would be ruined, and she would have no one to comfort her, no one to lean on, no one to help her make through to the other side of this mess unscathed. And as these realizations washed over her, she sank to the ground beside her car and let the tears flow.

* * *

At that same moment, in a shadowy corner of the community park located a few blocks from the school Gwen was meeting with Heather's gang.

"Well, Gwen, I must say I'm surprised you asked to meet with us." Heather said, a smile on her face. "What happened, did Nikki finally dump you?"

Gwen gave her the finger and sighed. "No, I had a fight with Bridgette and I think she's cheating on Geoff."

"And what does that have to do with us?" Heather asked.

"I assumed you'd know something, if there's anything going on, since you're the top of the social ladder." Gwen said. "But if you don't, I guess I can figure it out on my own." She turned to leave, but Heather caught her by the arm.

"Gwen wait." Heather said. "I do know something, but I don't think you're going to like it." Gwen nodded to show that she was listening, so Heather continued. "A few weeks ago I caught Bridgette kissing Duncan in one of the classrooms the tutoring department uses. It was obvious that the kiss was passionate and I have since confirmed that they are an item."

"And you're absolutely sure of this?" Gwen asked, her look skeptical.

"Yes." Heather confirmed. "Bridgette is cheating on Geoff with Duncan."

Gwen stared at her, horrified, and well aware of the fact that once this got out, nothing would ever be the same.

**A/N: So, Mr. McLean knows, Heather knows, and now Gwen knows. Will the others find out the truth or will Bridgette and Duncan's secret remain hidden? Keep reading to find out.**


	20. And the Truth Comes Out

The next day Bridgette arrived at school to find a large group of people gathered in the hall near her locker. Puzzled, she cautiously approached the mass, pausing when she saw Heather leaning against the lockers, a smile on her face. Heather glanced at Bridgette and nodded, her smile growing as though she had been waiting for Bridgette to appear so she could do something horrible. In the back of her mind Bridgette knew what Heather was doing and she knew she had to stop it, but she found herself unable to move, fear keeping her rooted to the spot. Heather seemed to notice this, for she turned to Lindsey and whispered something that made Lindsey burst into a fit of giggles, sending a shiver of fear through Bridgette. It was then that she noticed Nikki and Gwen standing near Heather's gang, LeShawna, Owen, Izzy, Jude, Starr, and the others only a few feet away as well. And in that moment she realized what was about to happen, Heather was going to reveal the truth and there was nothing Bridgette could do about it.

"Bridgette, nice of you to show up." Heather called, making every head turn in Bridgette's direction. Bridgette smiled weakly, hoping to convey innocence.

"Hey Bridgette, could you come over here please?" Heather asked, her voice thick with sarcasm and false sincerity. "After all, you are the reason all these people are gathered here."

Bridgette said nothing, but moved to stand next to Heather, her legs feeling as though they were made of lead. "What are doing?" she hissed, in undertone, once she had reached Heathers side. "We had a deal."

"Yes, we did, and you failed to hold up your end." Heather said, a malicious gleam in her eyes. "So, I'm just doing what I promised I would." With that, Heather turned to face the crowd, her malicious pleasure palpable.

Bridgette felt her insides freeze, knowing what was coming, knowing she couldn't stop it, unless...yes, that would stop her. Without another thought Bridgette launched herself at Heather, knocking her foe to the floor, fists connecting with Heather's face. But just as the fight was beginning two pairs of strong hands closed around Bridgette's arms, pulling off of Heather and threw her back against the lockers. Justin continued to hold Bridgette back as Alejandro helped Heather to her feet, Heather glaring at Bridgette as she regained her footing.

"You insolent little whore!" Heather screamed, advancing on Bridgette. "You dare strike out at me? I'm so far above you I barely notice you exist and now I'm going to expose you as the lier and the fraud you are." She turned back to the crowd, her anger making everyone take a step back. "That's right people," Heather continued, "Bridgette Wells is not the loyal friend or the innocent victim she claims to be. She is a vindictive whore who seduces boys and then cheats on them with worthless delinquents."

The silence in the hallway following Heather's revelations was nearly tangible. Every person in the crowd had their eyes glued to Bridgette, who was white as a ghost and shaking with fear and suppressed rage. The silence seemed to stretch on for an eternity, no quite sure how to respond to Heather's statements. Finally, after what felt like multiple eternities, Izzy burst out in laughter. The rest of the crowd followed suit, though many of them seemed unsure if they should. Bridgette noticed that Gwen was not laughing, and neither were Nikki, Jude, or LeShawna, though her other friends had joined in the gale.

"Come on Heather, you expect us to believe that shit?" Izzy asked, after finally regaining her composure. "What makes you think Bridgette is cheating on Geoff when all the evidence says otherwise?"

"Because all the evidence doesn't say otherwise." said Mr. McLean, walking up to the crowd, a smile on his face. "Haven't you noticed that Bridgette has been acting strangely lately, like she has something to hide? Also, it's common knowledge that she has been tutoring this school's most troublesome delinquent, Duncan Reynolds."

"Yeah, and she's what, secretly fucking him on the side or something?" Izzy asked, with a disbelieving glance at Mr. McLean. "Cuz if that's your theory, it seems pretty crackpot to me."

"Does it now?" Mr. McLean said. "I thought you were more perceptive than that Izzy."

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Izzy snapped.

"Nothing." Mr. McLean said, with a shrug. "I just thought you were better at picking up on things is all. Or are you not as good at reading people as you've always claimed?"

Izzy didn't respond, but Owen did. "Okay, I have a question." he said, looking directly at Mr. McLean. "You say you have proof Bridgette has been cheating on Geoff with Duncan, right?" Mr. McLean nodded. "Okay, so then how did you get that proof, huh? Been spying on your students have you? Cuz, I gotta admit, that's pretty creepy."

Mr. McLean did not respond and Owen smiled, satisfied with the response. "What's the matter Mr. McLean, cat got your tongue?"

Mr. McLean smiled and nodded, acknowledging that Owen had bested him. "Okay." he said. "If you don't believe me, and if you are so certain Miss Wells is such a trustful, honest person, why don't you ask her for the truth?"

"An excellent question." said Heather. She glanced around the crowd, her gaze coming to rest on Nikki. "Why don't you ask Bridgette for the truth? Are you afraid to find out that she's been lying to you or do you already know the truth and are simply afraid of having her confirm it?"

None of Bridgette's friends spoke and Bridgette felt a sense of relief wash over her. There was still a chance she could get out of this without ruining anything. Maybe they didn't care, maybe it was okay with her friends if she had relationships with two guys. Or even better, maybe they didn't want to know the truth and would just be content to let the secret remain a secret. But even as these flames of hope sparked within her, Bridgette could see the doubt in Nikki's eyes, and Gwen's, and Jude's, and LeShawna's, and everyone else's except Izzy's and Owen's, who both seemed determined to ignore the fact that Bridgette might be lying to them.

Heather saw the doubt as well and repeated her query. "What's wrong guys, don't you want to know the truth?"

Still no one moved or spoke. And then Nikki stepped forward and looked Bridgette directly in the eyes. "Okay, I've had enough of this." she said. "We need to know the truth Bridgette, and please don't dance around the subject this time. Just tell us, have you been cheating on Geoff with Duncan?"

Bridgette stared at her friend, trying to read the expression on Nikki's face, her vision blurring as tears began to fall. For a moment she hesitated, wanting to lie but unable to think of anything good to use as an excuse. And then she spoke, "Yes. I have been cheating on Geoff with Duncan. We've been meeting at his house and having sex when I should have been tutoring him and I've been blowing off dates with Geoff so I could spend time with Duncan." She paused, not sure if she wanted to continue, but she did. "I am so sorry. I never meant to hurt Geoff, it just happened and-"

"Don't." Nikki snarled, hate in her eyes. "Don't apologize Bridgette. Your words mean nothing to me anymore. And neither do you."

Bridgette drew back from Nikki's anger, stifling a sob. Her gaze moved automatically to her other friends, but none of them were looking at her. She moved towards them, hoping to get them to look at her, but Gwen shot her a warning glance that said stay away or we will destroy you.

"Guys, please don't leave." Bridgette pleaded. "Let me explain."

"Explain what?" LeShawna snapped. "How you betrayed us? How you took our friendship and tossed it aside like it was trash? You don't need to explain anything Bridgette, we all get it. You're a lier and a backstabber and we want nothing to do with you anymore."

"Come on LeShawna, it's not like that." Bridgette said. "I didn't do it to hurt any of you."

"No, you didn't, that much is true." said Gwen. "You didn't do it to hurt us, you did it to hurt Geoff and that's what makes your actions so despicable. I mean, how could you do it Bridgette? How could you just cast him aside like that, like he was nothing? You knew that he'd had a bad break up with Alyssa, you knew he needed someone in his life to make him forget about that and you decided to make the wound in his heart even bigger than it already was. What kind of person does that make you? Are you even capable of feeling real love? Or are you just a soulless, heartless, monster who feeds on other people's sorrow?"

"You know that's not true Gwen." Bridgette said. "You know I care about Geoff deeply and I would do anything to ensure his happiness, but don't you think Duncan deserves those things too?"

"Oh would you shut the fuck up!" Nikki shouted. "Stop lying to us. You don't care and you never have. All you've ever done is lie to us, ever since you got here. You should have accepted Heather's invitation to join her gang, because you're a lot more like her than I thought. I mean, my God, you use people just like she does, if not more so. I can't believe I ever trusted you and I'm ashamed to have ever considered you a friend. So don't talk to me, I don't want to hear it. You're full of shit and I will never consider you a friend again." With that, she, Gwen, and LeShawna stormed off, the others following in their wake.

"Wait, Jude please just listen." Bridgette cried, but Jude ignored her. Trent, Wyatt, Marlowe, and Ezekiel showed no sign of interest in her explanations either, but Starr paused for a moment and turned back to face Bridgette.

"I don't want explanations either." she said. "I just want to know one thing, did you ever once stop and think about how we'd feel? Did you ever once consider telling us the truth sooner?"

"Would it have made a difference?" Bridgette asked.

"No, but maybe we would have listened." Starr said. "Maybe we could have salvaged something from this fiasco."

"Well, you have answer then." Bridgette said. "I didn't want maybes, I wanted certainties. But I knew you'd never accept why I did what I did."

"You really are a bitch, you know that?" Starr said. "I hope it was worth it for you Bridgette, I really do. Because if it wasn't good luck ever gaining people's trust again." She smailed and left, leaving Bridgette alone in the hall.

The other spectators had long since cleared out and Heather's gang were no where to be seen, though they had had their fun. Mr. McLean was also gone, though Bridgette suspected he hadn't gone far. He would undoubtedly try to make a move on her again now that she was such an emotional mess. As she turned to leave she became aware of another presence in the hall. Looking up she spotted Duncan standing at the end of the hall, staring at her. And the look in his eyes was terrifying, because it told her what she had known was inevitable...the events of that morning had only been the beginning. Bridgette's life was about to get much worse.

**A/N: Well, there you have it. Bridgette's friends have learned the truth and her social life has imploded. Or has it? It may come to pass that not everyone has turned their backs on her. But she still has both Duncan and Geoff to deal with, so things will get worse before they get better. Also, note how Geoff did not seem to present for this event. There's a reason for that, but it's very specific and could ruin the story if I tell you now. Don't worry about it though, all will be revealed in time.**


	21. A Tutor No More

Sometime later that day Bridgette found herself sitting on a bench in the park not far from the school. She had no idea how she had gotten there or what had drawn her to this spot. All she knew for sure was that her life was over. After seeing Duncan that morning she had fled the school and had spent much of the day wandering around in a haze, trying to come to grips with what had happened. She knew she had to confront Duncan, and eventually Geoff as well, and explain her reasons for doing what she had done, but she could not bring herself to do it yet. She still had to come to grips with it herself first before she could even think about confronting anyone else. At least Geoff hadn't been there that morning and so had been spared the pain of hearing her admit the truth. But Bridgette was certain the others had told him by now and she knew he would have something to say about what had happened. It made her sick to know that she had had such a good thing going and it had all gone away because she had been too blind to see how her actions were affecting others.

Not for the first time that day tears stung her eyes as she thought about the cold, hateful looks on the faces of her friends. How had it come to this? How had her life gone from such a high to such a low? More importantly, how could she fix it? Bridgette knew the answers to the first two questions, but she had no idea how to answer the third. As she struggled to find an answer, her phone buzzed, drawing her out of her haze of sorrow. She glanced at her phone which indicated she had one new text message. It was from Beth and seemed urgent. Bridgette was puzzled by this, what could the nerds possibly want from her? And then it clicked, like a light turning on inside her brain, something Noah had said when she had first become a tutor, if she ever broke the protocols that governed tutoring in the school she would be stripped of her right to tutor. That's what the nerds wanted her for, to tell her that she was no longer a tutor and add one more piece of her life to the list of things she had ruined.

An hour later Bridgette arrived at the school's tutoring center, where Beth's text had said to meet, to find Beth, Noah, Harold, Tutoring Director Sandi Jones, and the other nerds waiting for her. It surprised her that Darth, Julie, Cody, and Sierra were there, since none of them were tutors, but she supposed the nerds didn't separate just because they didn't all tutor. She had never asked the four of them why they weren't tutors but it didn't really matter now. She was about to be cut off from their world and that was the only thing on her mind now, the thought that she had failed them as well.

"Well, shall we get started?" Beth asked, with a quick glance at Bridgette. It was clear that she was uncomfortable with the idea of telling Bridgette she couldn't be a tutor anymore.

Noah nodded and motioned for Bridgette to sit, which she did while keeping her eyes on Beth. The look on Noah's face was terrifying, like that of an overly stern father who was preparing to punish his disobedient daughter. "I assume you know why you have been called before this council today?" he asked, his gaze piercing.

"Yes." Bridgette answered, doing her best to ignore the look in his eyes. "I'm here so you can tell me I can't tutor Duncan anymore."

"And do you understand why we must strip you of your right to tutor at this school?" Noah asked, satisfaction in his voice.

"Yeah, I fucked up, that's why." Bridgette said, wanting very much to punch him in the face as she spoke.

"Yes, you broke our protocols." Noah said, smiling now. "Which we warned you would lead to your termination. You used time that had been set aside to help your charge study to engage in personal activities of an inappropriate nature and were dumb enough to get caught."

"Noah." Sandi said, shooting him a warning look.

Noah nodded, realizing he was being too judgmental. "Sorry." he said. "We are not here to judge your intelligence, and I apologize if I offended you."

Bridgette nodded. _Yeah, and you can stick that apology up your ass._

"So, what Noah is saying is you are no longer a tutor Miss Wells." Sandi said, trying to convey sympathy. "It is regrettable, you were an excellent tutor, but this is how it must be."

"I understand." Bridgette said, with a quick nod. In reality, she didn't understand why she couldn't continue to tutor Duncan just because they had made love a few times. It wasn't like they hadn't gotten some studying done first. But she thought it would be better not to question the rules at the moment, given that she had lost most of her social support net that morning.

"We'll need your badge back." Harold said, speaking for the first time.

For a moment Bridgette was confused and then she remembered, Harold had given her a handmade badge to carry with her so people would know she was a tutor. She had been weirded out by the gesture, but Beth had explained it was a tradition that had been started years earlier, so Bridgette had taken the badge. Now that she was being stripped of her position as a tutor, she found that she did not want to give the badge up, but she fumbled in her pocket and pulled it out. For a moment she stared at it, amazed by how possessive of it she had become, it was only a piece of cardboard with the word tutor scrawled on it in black marker after all. She fought to hold back the tears and handed the badge over to Harold, who did not meet her eyes as he took it.

"I'm sorry things turned out this way." he mumbled, turning away from her and pocketing the badge.

_You're not the only one_, Bridgette thought, though she wanted to say a lot more.

"Well, that's pretty much it Miss Wells." Sandi said, with a faint smile. "Thank you for your time and good luck."

Bridgette nodded and moved towards the door, pausing when she saw the look on Beth's face. Where her friends had shown hatred and disgust, Beth showed sorrow, as if she sympathized with Bridgette's situation. As Bridgette looked around the room she saw the same look on the faces of the others, everyone except Noah who still looked stern and disappointed. Bridgette nodded in acknowledgement of their sympathy and left the room, only to have Beth catch up to her minutes later.

"Hey, I just wanted you to know that you have my support." Beth said, trying and failing, to meet Bridgette's gaze.

"Thank you Beth." Bridgette said, not looking at the nerd queen. "For what it's worth I've always thought you were a good person, but I don't think you should be too friendly with me from now on. It could be hazardous to your social standing." They both smiled at the joke and Bridgette left.

Beth watched her go, sorrow filling her soul, and whispered, "Don't give up hope Bridgette. Things may not be as bad as they seem and there are still people you can count on to be your friend."

* * *

Unaware of Beth's convictions, Bridgette made her way to her car, intent on taking th next step in her descent into hell. She pulled out her phone and texted Duncan, asking him to meet her at the park. He texted back that he would and she climbed into her car and drove to the park for what she hoped wasn't her last conversation with the punk. She arrived at the park to find it empty, which was fine with her. She didn't need spectators for the confrontation that was sure to occur and she knew Duncan wouldn't want people to hear either. He wasn't there yet, so Bridgette pulled out her phone and started playing _Angry Birds_, hoping it would take her mind off the days events while she waited.

A short time later Duncan arrived, riding his skateboard, since he didn't have a car. He looked surly, but Bridgette was unsure if that was because he was pissed at her or if he was just being his usual grumpy self. She had a feeling it was the former.

"Well, I'm here." Duncan said, pulling up short so his board hopped off the ground and into his hands. "What did you want to talk about?"

"I assume you saw that spectacle this morning?" Bridgette asked.

"Yeah, what about it?" Duncan asked. "Heather and McLean told everyone about us, what's the big deal?"

"The big deal is the nerds heard too and I can't tutor you anymore." Bridgette answered, shocked that he was acting so calm. "Also, my friends turned on me so I could really use some support right now, you know?"

"Yeah, cuz it's all about you isn't it, Blondy?" Duncan asked, his usual sarcasm tinged with a hint of disgust.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Bridgette asked.

"Don't act like an idiot Bridgette." Duncan snapped. "You know exactly what I mean."

"Actually I don't." Bridgette said. "Is there something you want to tell me?"

"Fucking hell, you really must be an idiot." Duncan said. "I mean, for fuck's sake, can't you see that I'm pissed?"

"Well yeah, but why Duncan?" Bridgette asked. "And why are you taking it out on me?"

"Because it's your fucking fault." Duncan shouted, glaring at her. "I thought you cared about me Bridgette. I thought you were the answer to all my problems, but I guess I was wrong."

"Duncan, I...I still don't see what you're getting at." Bridgette lied. The truth was, she knew exactly why he was pissed, but she was not going let on that she knew she had failed him.

"Oh come on." Duncan said, rolling his eyes. "Don't you think I can see through your bullshit? You know exactly what I'm getting at. You failed me, damn it. You made me believe that I could be something more than the loser I am, that I could get out of this hell hole and make something of my life. But it'll never happen now, cuz you let the truth come out."

"And you think I wanted that to happen?" Bridgette asked. "I had no control over that. Heather was going to tell no matter what I did and you know that."

"No, I don't." Duncan said. "I don't know that. For all I know there were any number of things you could have done to stop her, you just didn't do them."

"What did you expect me to do?" Bridgette asked. "Did you expect me to kill Heather or something stupid like that? Because I'm not you Duncan, I'm not a criminal." She could see the hurt in his eyes at her words, but she didn't care. He was acting like she had allowed Heather to reveal the truth so she could get away from him, which was anything but true. If anything, Bridgette had tried to stop Heather because she had known what would happen and that knowledge had come to pass that morning.

"Well, I have my answer." Duncan muttered, not looking at Bridgette. "You're just like everyone else, you only see me as a delinquent and a criminal. But I...I saw you as someone who I could love, who I thought could love me. Don't you understand that Bridgette? I didn't just think of you as my tutor or a sex object, I thought of you as my love, but you were to busy trying to protect your image and keep your relationship with Geoff that you didn't see that we were becoming a couple. You ignored the signs and let me suffer."

"What was I supposed to do Duncan?" Bridgette asked, tears now beginning to fall. "I couldn't just dump Geoff and our relationship couldn't be public because I would have been stripped of my tutoring rights."

"But you could ignore the one individual in your life who needed you most?" Duncan asked. "How is that fair?" Bridgette noticed that it looked like he was fighting back tears as well. "You knew how much I hated my life, how much I needed someone to help me, but you refused to give me all of yourself. How do you think that made me feel, huh? How do you think it still makes me feel?"

"And how do you think Geoff would have felt if he had known the truth?" Bridgette asked.

"For fuck's sake Bridgette, I don't give a shit about Geoff or how he would have felt." Duncan snapped. "And I don't give a fuck about what your so called friends think either. I only care what you think and I know you want me."

"No Duncan, I don't." Bridgette lied, feeling a piece of her soul die at these words. "I don't want you, I never have. I wanted...something...and I took advantage of you to get it. I'm sorry, it was wrong and I shouldn't have done it."

"Fuck your apologies." Duncan growled, his eyes full of hate. "I loved you Bridgette, you inspired me, but I guess it was all a lie. Don't pretend to be sorry, we're done and I hope you never know love again." With one last look of disgust, he turned and walked away, leaving his skateboard behind as a reminder of what Bridgette had lost.

"Duncan wait, don't go. Let me explain." Bridgette cried. As she reached out for him he turned and backhanded her across the face, sending her sprawling.

"I said don't." he snarled. "Don't explain, don't apologize, I don't want to hear it. We're done, just leave it at that." He turned and walked away into the gathering darkness, leaving Bridgette to sob on the ground alone. And as Duncan disappeared into the shadows Bridgette knew for sure that there was no going back now. The life she had lived before was dead and it would never live again.

**A/N: Okay, so, like I said it's gonna get worse for Bridgette before it get's better. But I promise it will get better. Also, just to make sure I'm clear about this, the tutoring department has strict regulations about the kind of relationship tutors are supposed to have with those whom they are tutoring. In other words, if the the tutoring department feels that the tutor/charge relationship is causing more harm than help (i.e. using study time for sex instead of study) they will bar that tutor from tutoring any longer, cuz the belief is if that tutor acts that way with one charge they will act that way with all charges. And, I'm sure it was kinda wierd to see Duncan being so emotional, but he really does love Bridgette and it hurts him that he can't have her. Also, he believes he won't graduate, yet again, without her help.**


	22. Who to Trust?

The next several days passed in a blur, each moment bleeding into the next like colors in a watercolor painting. Bridgette was only aware of the passage of time because she somehow found the strength to get out of bed each morning and stumble through the day until she got back to bed each night. It was harder than she had ever imagined possible to return to school each day and face her former friends and the fact that she had to face those responsible for her downfall made it all the harder. She had never felt so alone, so lost, so abandoned by the world. True she still had her parents, but how could she confide in them? Would they really understand how she was feeling? Would they really be able to make everything better? Bridgette doubted it. Her parents were good at many things, but helping her cope with the implosion of her social life wasn't one of them. To be fair, her parents had never really had to help her cope with something like this, but she still found it hard to believe that they would be much help.

Bridgette was aware that her parents were not the only people she could turn to, there was still Geoff, but he was even less likely to help her, considering how she had hurt him. Besides, she hadn't seen him since the night they had gone to the movies with Gwen, Nikki, Trent, and LeShawna. Bridgette assumed Geoff had gone off on one of his weird sabbaticals, but she wasn't sure. It could be that he had learned the truth and was simply choosing to avoid her. But Bridgette didn't know for sure, though she supposed it didn't really matter, either way Geoff was not going to lend her any comfort. And so, Bridgette was left to carry on by herself, enduring the taunts from Heather's gang and the looks of cold hatred and disappointment from her former friends. She had no idea what kept her going, why she didn't just succumb to the sorrow and end it all.

Perhaps it was a desire to prove to them all that no matter how much it hurt, she wouldn't let this break her. Or maybe it was a promise she'd made to herself years before, that if she ever reached a point in her life when it all became too much to take she wouldn't turn to suicide, because suicide wasn't a real solution. No, suicide would only hurt those around her more than she already had and she couldn't do that to them. But if that wasn't the reason why she continued on, then what was? Maybe it was hope that kept her going, the hope that somehow everything would be fixed. Or maybe, as she truly suspected was the case, it was a hope that even if her old life was gone she could find someone new to trust and start over again.

On Saturday, more than a week after her social life imploded, Bridgette received a text message from Beth asking her to come to Owen's house. She was confused by the request, why would Beth want her to go to Owen's house? Didn't Owen hate her now? Had Beth succumbed to the pressure to treat Bridgette like a common whore, was that why she was doing this? Bridgette was skeptical of that assumption. Beth Brown was many things, intelligent, kind, talented, but cruel and cunning? Bridgette was pretty sure those personality quirks didn't apply to Beth, unless there was something about the nerd queen she had missed before. That didn't seem likely, but it also didn't explain the text message either. Bridgette pondered Beth's message a moment longer before deciding she would risk it being a trick and headed over to Owen's place. She arrived a few minutes later to find a number of cars parked out front, which was strange because the only time that many cars were parked in front of Owen's house was when he was throwing a party, which he wasn't, as far a Bridgette knew.

Owen was sitting on the front porch with Izzy and Beth, who both waved as Bridgette climbed out of her car. She hesitated a moment before returning the gesture, unsure if they were playing with her.

"Hey Bridgette, it's good to see you again." Izzy said, jumping down to the sidewalk.

"You see me every day at school Iz." Bridgette said, still wary of a trap.

"Yeah, but I haven't really gotten to talk to you since, you know..." Izzy said, her voice trailing off as though she didn't really want to talk about the events of that day.

"Okay, what's going on here?" Bridgette asked, Izzy's actions making her suspicious. "Why did you invite me here?" She looked at Beth, who betrayed no hint of guilt.

"We wanted to talk to you, see how you're doing, you know?" Owen answered. He too betrayed no hint that this was anything more than an innocent conversation between friends.

_Except we're not friends anymore, so why are they suddenly concerned about how I'm doing?_ Bridgette thought, trying to read the expressions on the three faces in front of her. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to sound like a bitch, but what kind of game are you guys trying to play with me?" she asked, after a moment of silence.

"We're not trying to play any sort of games." Beth answered. "We're genuinely concerned about you Bridgette and we're not the only ones."

Bridgette registered Beth's words, but she was more concerned about Owen and Izzy at the moment. "Okay, let's say that's true, than explain to me why Owen and Izzy are here, besides that fact that this is Owen's house." She looked at the two of them, her eyes searching. "I thought you two were pissed at me for what I did to Geoff?"

"We were." Izzy answered. "But Owen realized that just because you did some horrible things, that doesn't mean your friends should turn their backs on you, and I agree with him."

Bridgette hesitated before answering, but ultimately decided Izzy was telling the truth. "Okay, I'll listen." she said. "Sorry for being so suspicious." Izzy nodded to show she accepted the apology and Bridgette continued. "So, you say there are others who are concerned about me? Who is it and where are they?"

"Why don't you come inside and find out." Owen said with a smile.

Bridgette nodded and followed the other three inside. What greeted her was a sight that nearly made her collapse in gratitude. Seated in Owen's living room were Harold, Eva, Geoff's brother Scott, Gangbusters drummer Alyssa and the two girls she'd saved from Coach Halder, whose names she still didn't know. She was surprised so many people were concerned about her, considering she didn't really hang out with any of them.

"Wow." Bridgette said, her voice barely a whisper. "I had no idea so many of you were concerned about how I'm doing. I thought everyone just assumed I was in the wrong and that was it."

"Well, to be honest, not all of us agree with what you did Bridgette." said Harold. "But it didn't seem right to us that you were just cast aside and weren't given a chance to explain yourself. I mean, I don't know you as well as Nikki and Gwen might, but I can't see you doing what you did just to be a spiteful bitch."

"Thanks Harold." Bridgette said, though she wasn't sure if she liked his logic. Still, she wasn't going to say anything. After going for over a week without speaking with anyone it felt good to have someone to talk to and she wasn't about to squander the opportunity.

"Have a seat." Eva said, scooting over to make room for Bridgette on the couch.

Bridgette sat, and smiled as she looked around the room once again. It warmed her heart to know that there were still this many people who had her back, but she was certain things were still far from being back to normal. No, to get back to normal she would have to confront everyone else again and find a way to explain to them why she had done what she had. But that was an issue for another day. For now she was just glad to be in the presence of people who still trusted her and still saw her as a person, not a traitor or a monster.

"So, not to sound rude or suspicious, but why are you all here?" she asked. "I mean, none of you, except Owen and Izzy, were part of my main group of friends, so what is it that makes you loyal to me?"

"Well, like Harold and Izzy said, we don't all necessarily agree with your actions but we all agree that you should still get a fair shake before being judged." said Beth.

"That said, I'm here because I personally don't have a problem with what you did and I figure I might as well have your back." said Eva, with a smile.

"And we're here because you stood up to Coach Halder when he was bullying us." said the taller and thinner of the two girls whose names Bridgette didn't know. "I'm Katie, by the way. Katie Holt. And this is Sadie Dawson, my girlfriend." She motioned towards the shorter, heavier girl, who smiled and nodded.

"You two are lesbians?" Bridgette asked, surprised. She had thought they were just friends who were very close.

"Yeah, we are." Katie said, with a grin. The question had not seemed to offend her in any way and if it had she showed no signs of it. "That's why we're always picked on. A lot of people don't like the fact that we like girls and we're treated like shit for it."

Bridgette shook her head, disgusted by how narrow minded people could be sometimes. "Well, I won't judge you." she said. "It's nice to know that there are people in this world who aren't afraid to be who they are regardless of what others think. And I thank you for your support."

"No problem." Sadie said, with another smile. "We've always thought you're awesome, ever since you told Coach off for being so mean."

Bridgette nodded and turned to Scott and Alyssa. "So why are you two here?" she asked.

"We're here because we want you to understand that you don't have to explain yourself to Geoff." Scott said, his voice tinged with a hint of disgust. "He's been through this before and he can handle it. So don't go worrying about how he'll feel. Also, we wanted you to know that your actions, while they are despicable, are part of being a teenager. Everyone goes through this kind of thing at some point and you just have to let it play out how it will. Trust me, you'll be better for it when this is all over, even if you don't get your friends back."

_Yeah, and you'd know all about this wouldn't you?_ Bridgette thought. _Since it was you who took Alyssa from your brother and kicked him out of the band._ She didn't say any of this out loud, for fear of pissing Scott off, but she could tell that he could tell from the expression on her face that she didn't agree with his advice. However, Scott said nothing else, apparently satisfied by her reaction.

"Where is Geoff anyway?" Bridgette asked, looking around the room, her gaze coming to rest on Owen. "Do any of you know where he is?"

"Haven't you seen him lately?" Izzy asked, with a glance at Owen as well.

"No, I haven't seen him since we went to the movies with Nikki and Gwen." Bridgette answered, concern in her voice. "He doesn't know, does he?"

"I honestly have no idea Bridge." said Owen. "Me and Izzy haven't seen him in a few days, but Nikki did say something about telling him so maybe he does."

Bridgette tensed, panic creeping up her spine. There was something Owen and Izzy weren't telling her and her hope that they could still be friends was beginning to extinguish. She suddenly found herself wondering if she could trust the people gathered before her. It didn't seem likely that they would all be in on a plot to further humiliate her, but then they were all there, weren't they? So maybe they were all in it together. Bridgette felt a sudden desire to run for the door, but something held her in her seat, something that told her she was just being paranoid and needed to have more faith in people.

"I'm sure Geoff is okay Bridgette." Alyssa said, her soothing voice drawing Bridgette out of her panicked reverie. "And even if he does know the truth, he'll listen to you when you get the chance to explain."

"Are you sure?" Bridgette asked, her gaze traveling to Scott, whose expression seemed to support what Alyssa was saying.

"Yes, he listened to me." Alyssa said. "I told him why I went with Scott and Geoff accepted it, though I know it was hard for him."

Bridgette smiled and nodded, comforted by Alyssa's words. But somewhere in the back of her mind she was still uncertain that Geoff would just accept her mistakes and move on. Could it really be that easy? And if it was, would the others take her back as well? Bridgette seriously doubted any of it true, but she kept these suspicions to herself.

"Well, I should probably get going." she said, with another glance around the room. "I've got a lot of things to do. Thank you, all of you, for your support. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it." She turned to leave, but Owen caught her by the arm.

"I'm throwing another party next weekend." he said. "You should come, especially since it'll be the last one, since we're all graduating."

"I'll think about it." Bridgette said, with a smile. Owen nodded and let her go, the others watching from behind him.

Bridgette made her way down to her car and climbed in, smiling to herself as she did. She still had friends and they seemed to believe she had a chance to salvage the remnants of her old life. She was still uncertain about that, but it was nice to know someone still had confidence and trust in her. The path she had chosen to walk had been dark and it would most likely grow darker, but for the first time since the truth had come out Bridgette could see the light at the end of the tunnel.

**A/N: See, I told you things would get better. Actually they've only gotten a little better, but that's for another chapter. Also, just in case you've forgotten, Bridgette saved Katie and Sadie from Coach when he was yelling at them foe being lazy way back in chapter 6. Finally, the title of this chapter refers to the fact that Bridgette now knows that there are people who support her, but she is uncertain if they can all be trusted.**


	23. The Party to End All Parties

Bridgette spent the rest of the weekend reflecting on the meeting with her supporters. She had been surprised to discover so many people still had her back and she was glad for that. Facing the consequences of her actions alone had been horrible, but now that she had people to lean on she felt she would be able to face anything. But there was still nagging doubt about the sincerity of her supporters, especially Owen and Izzy. They had shown no signs that they were against her during the meeting, but that simply could have been a ruse to ensure the others didn't catch on. She hoped this wasn't the case, as Owen and Izzy could be the key to getting everyone else to take her back, but she could not help feeling that they were playing her. She returned to school on Monday to the now familiar taunts and looks of disappointment, but unlike the previous week she brushed these actions aside as though they were minor annoyances. She had supporters and she would not allow Heather's gang, her former friends, or anyone else drag her down any longer. The meeting at Owen's house had buoyed her sinking spirits and she was determined to stay afloat, no matter how hard it was.

Eva, Katie, and Sadie met Bridgette at her locker, all of them defiant, as if they were daring other students to question why they were associating with the school's social pariah. Their defiance made Bridgette smile, though she thought they ought to be more careful, considering what could happen to them if they were too defiant about still being her friend. Still, she appreciated their dedication and willingness to support her despite the potential consequences.

"Hey guys." she said, as she walked up to her locker. "How are you this morning?" She noticed how people nearby looked at her when she spoke to the girls, but she ignored the looks.

"We're good." Katie answered, also ignoring the looks of the people around them. "How are you Bridgette?"

"Pretty good, I guess." Bridgette answered. "I'm not necessarily happy, but I'm not sad or depressed either." That was not entirely true. Despite her joy at learning she had supporters, she was far from escaping the clutches of depression and was well aware that she could slip back down at any moment. But she felt it was better for her not to say anything about that now, as she wished to avoid th looks of concern from her new friends.

"Well, that's good." Sadie said, with a smile. "I'm glad our meeting over the weekend helped you get out of your funk."

"So am I." Bridgette admitted. "It was really unpleasant to wander around in an aimless stupor like I was."

"Well, you don't have to worry about that anymore." Eva said. "You have us to look after you now. And Beth. And Harold. Oh, and Cody, Darth, Julie, and Sierra as well."

"Really?" Bridgette asked, surprised. "Why weren't they at Owen's on Saturday?"

"Darth had a tutoring appointment scheduled for the time we met." Beth answered, as she and Harold joined the group, Darth, Julie, Cody, and Sierra with them. "Julie had to work and I assume Cody and Sierra were doing something inappropriate."

"We don't just have sex Beth." Cody muttered, rolling his eyes.

"Although we would if we could." Sierra said, her tone clearly joking. Bridgette smiled, remembering how Nikki had told her Sierra could be a bit insane.

"What does Noah think about you guys supporting me?" she asked, glancing at the nerds.

"He thinks it's foolish, but we don't really care." Cody said.

"I thought you and Noah were best friends?" Bridgette said, looking at Cody with concern.

"We are." Cody answered. "But that doesn't mean we do everything together. I choose to support you and if he doesn't like that, too bad for him."

"And the same goes for Nikki and them." said Izzy, as she and Owen joined the group.

Bridgette flinched at Izzy's words, feeling a sense of guilt crawl up her spine. Izzy and Owen had been friends with Nikki, Gwen, and the others for years and Bridgette didn't want to be the one responsible for ending that friendship. But then, Izzy and Owen had chosen to support her, hadn't they? She hadn't forced them to do it and if they were prepared to deal with the consequences of their choice, then Bridgette supposed it didn't really matter what she did, they were going to do what they wanted, no matter what she said or did to dissuade them. She looked at Izzy and smiled, glad that at least two of her former friends were still willing to support her.

"You two are sure about this?" she asked, her gaze traveling from Izzy to Owen. "Aren't you afraid of what will happen to your friendships with Nikki and the others?"

"Nah, not really." Owen answered. "Besides, like Izzy said they've got accept that we're still friends or they can forget about remaining friends with me and Iz."

Bridgette smiled again, still overcome by how much love she was receiving from all of these people who had every reason to hate her. That they were willing to risk their own social standing in the school for her was beyond anything she could have expected of them. And at that moment Bridgette realized that no matter what happened, she would always have friends to lean on.

"So, Bridgette, have you thought about my request?" Owen asked, bringing Bridgette out of her thoughts.

"I...uh...not really." Bridgette answered. It was the truth, she had been so wrapped up in reflecting on the meeting that she hadn't given much thought to Owen's request that she come to his end of the year party.

"Well, I still think you should come." Owen said. "I don't want you to be alone and everyone will be there."

This revelation made Bridgette hesitate. If everyone else was going to be at the party, why did Owen want her to come so badly? After all, he knew how everyone would react if she showed up at the party. It would be a disaster and Bridgette didn't want the last party Owen threw as a high school student to be ruined because everyone was unwilling to welcome one of his guests.

"I don't know Owen." she said. "If everyone else is gonna come I don't think it'd be a good idea for me to be there."

"Why not?" Owen asked, though Bridgette was sure he already knew the answer. "You think everyone will be assholes to you, is that it? Cuz I promise you Bridgette I won't let them act like dicks to at my party."

Still Bridgette hesitated. Though she didn't doubt the sincerity of Owen's words, she was unsure how effective he would be at keeping everyone else from treating her like crap, given how busy he would most likely be.

"Come on Bridgette, come to the party." Eva said. "We're all gonna be there and you can hang out with us if you're worried about everyone else. You don't have to be afraid of those people, you've got us to keep you company and we won't turn our backs on you, ever."

Bridgette smiled and nodded. "Okay, I'll come." she said. "But if things start to turn ugly, I will leave. I won't let your party be ruined because of my mistakes."

"Understood." said Owen. "But that shouldn't be a problem. I've got big plans for this party and I think everyone will be too distracted to be mean to you."

Bridgette nodded and smiled. And with that thought the group dispersed for class, all of them looking forward to the coming weekend.

* * *

By the time Friday arrived the entire school was in a state of barely contained excitement. It seemed Owen's promises of delivering a truly spectacular party were set to come true, though no one seemed to know exactly what to expect. However, despite a relative lack of knowledge about what Owen was planning many students, primarily Jude and Jonesy, had been going around all week claiming that this would be the party to end all parties. Given Owen's track record, it was not hard for students to believe that claim was true though some, including Bridgette, were certain there would be parties to come that would top this one. Still, the excitement in the air was nearly tangible and Bridgette was sure everyone was in for a big surprise.

That evening, around five, Bridgette met Eva, Katie, Sadie, Beth, Harold, Cody, and Sierra at Beth's house and they headed to Owen's place. Bridgette's excitement was tainted with nervousness, but she was determined not to let that keep her from having a good time. She and her friends had just over a month until they graduated and she would be damned if she let her problems taint the end of her high school years. Still, Bridgette could not deny that she was nervous about attending this party and she was sure some sort of unpleasantness was bound to happen when she faced her former friends.

Beth appeared to notice Bridgette's nervousness and she moved to calm Bridgette's nerves. "Don't worry Bridgette." Beth whispered. "Everything is going to be okay. Owen promised no one will bother you and Owen rarely breaks his promises."

Bridgette smiled and nodded, but did not comment. They had arrived at Owen's place and she didn't trust herself to speak on that subject when others were able to hear. Owen and Izzy greeted them and lead them around to the back yard, which was decorated in much the same fashion as the last party Bridgette had attended here. Bright lights were strung along the fence and in the trees, tiki torches were stationed around the yard in a disorganized pattern and large tables were set out with refreshments. A large makeshift stage once again dominated one corner of the yard and Bridgette could see the Gangbusters setting up their gear. Scott and Alyssa both glanced in her direction and smiled, a gesture which she returned.

"So, the Busters are playing again?" she asked, glancing at Owen.

"Yeah and so is the T.W. Express." Owen answered, with a huge grin.

"Who are the T.W. Express?" Bridgette asked. "I've never heard of them before."

"Actually you have, you just didn't know the name." Izzy said. "It's Trent and Wyatt's band. We all think the name is kinda lame, but that's what they decided to go with. I think it makes them sound like jackasses, but whatever. As long as they can play, which they can, by the way."

Bridgette nodded, impressed. It seemed Owen hadn't been lying when he said he had big plans for this party. He had gotten the Gangbusters to come back, despite the way their set had ended at the last party and he had gotten Trent and Wyatt's band to play as well. Bridgette had been waiting to hear their band play since she had found out they had one and had begun to wonder if she would ever get the chance. Granted her desire to see them play had lessened a bit since they had turned their backs on her, but she still wanted to see them play, regardless of the bad blood.

"Did you guys notice the skate ramp Jude brought in?" Owen asked, indicating the wicked half-pipe ramp sitting opposite the stage.

"Wow, you've never had a ramp at one of your parties before." Eva said, obviously impressed.

"Yeah, well, I wanted to go all out for this and Jude said he'd be willing to help." Owen said. "He, Jonesy, Trent, Wyatt, and I built it. We've been working on it all week after school. Geoff helped too."

"So Geoff's back then?" Bridgette asked, a sudden wave of panic washing over her.

"Yeah, he's been back for like, four days, or something." Owen said. "Why?"

"Why hasn't he been at school?" Bridgette asked, her panic growing.

"Because he's avoiding you, you bitch." Nikki said, as she, Gwen, LeShawna, Jude, and Starr walked up to them. "Since you, y'know, shit all over his love. What's she doing here anyway?" She glanced at Owen and Izzy, who both wore looks of defiance.

"Nikki, don't start this shit now." Izzy said, her voice calm but intense. "We're all here to have a good time, just let it go."

"No." Nikki said, her voice also calm, but equally poisonous. "I refuse to sit by and act like she didn't do anything wrong. She betrayed us, betrayed Geoff, and why the two of you refuse to accept that is beyond me."

"We don't accept it because wrong or not, Bridgette is still our friend." Owen replied. "And we believe that friends don't cast one another aside just because someone makes a mistake."

"Then I guess you and Izzy are fools." said Gwen. "You think that we can just ignore what Bridgette did and everything goes back to normal, but that's not how it works in real life. She betrayed us and we've moved on and you should too, before she betrays you."

"No, I don't accept that." Owen said. "You guys are such hypocrites. You make fun of Heather for being a lying, traitorous bitch, and then you turn around and do exactly the same thing. And if that's the way you're gonna act, then you can get the hell out of my party." He stared at them with a look of cold fury on his face, as if daring them to challenge his ultimatum.

"Fine." Nikki spat. "We'll pretend she's a person for one night, but just so you know you and Izzy are no longer part of our group after this."

"Blow it out your ass Nikki." Owen said, his voice cold and uncaring.

"Yeah, whatever." Nikki muttered as she and the others turned to leave, none of them looking at Bridgette as they did.

"Owen, Izzy, I'm sorry." Bridgette said, once the others were out of earshot. "I didn't want your friendships with them to end because of me."

"Don't worry about it Bridgette." Izzy said. "They made their choice, we made ours. Let's just try and have a good time, okay?"

"Okay." Bridgette said, not quite meeting Izzy's gaze. She felt like she should say something more, but it was clear Izzy and Owen didn't want to talk about it anymore. Besides, they were at a party, now was not the time for arguments or debates. There would be time later for that and Bridgette knew she would look forward to that moment with more dread than ever.

They turned their attention back to the party, Owen moving towards the stage as it was time for the T.W. Express to play. After introducing the band Owen rejoined the group and they spent the next twenty five minutes soaking in the blues inflected rock of Trent and Wyatt's band. Bridgette was greatly impressed by the skill with which the two played, as well as Marlowe and the bands drummer Connie. But she was only half paying attention to the music, her mind consumed by too many other thoughts to truly be interested. Before she knew it the set was over and Owen was on the stage thanking the band for their performance.

"The T.W. Express, ladies and gentlemen." Owen shouted, with a sweeping gesture towards the band, who nodded in appreciation of the crowd's applause. Owen the continued, "Stay tuned, the Gangbusters are coming up next." The crowd exploded in applause and Owen left the stage.

Minutes later the Gangbusters took the stage and launched into their set, the crowed beginning to move around a bit to the up tempo beat. Before she knew what she was doing, Bridgette found herself swept up in the crowd, dancing to the music, all worries forgotten. But no sooner had she begun to unwind when it happened, she saw Geoff watching her from the other side of the yard and she felt the euphoria evaporate as reality came rushing at her with righteous fury.

Bridgette made her way across the yard to Geoff, pausing a few feet from him when she saw the look on his face. It was a look of indescribable pain and incredible anger wrapped together like they were two halves of the same being. Bridgette felt her breath catch in her chest and turned to run, the sound of his voice making her stop.

"Bridgette." Geoff said. "How could you? How could you do this to me?" His voice was calm, but that only made Bridgette want to run more. But she found that she couldn't run, no matter how hard she tried, she had no strength left in her. She turned to face him, fighting to hold back tears.

"Geoff, I...I don't...I don't know why I did it, I just did." She could tell that her explanation was not enough for him and she would have to tell the whole story again.

"Bridgette, don't lie to me." Geoff said. "Just tell me why. I already know the truth, Nikki and Gwen told me everything. All I want to know is why."

"He needed me, Geoff." Bridgette said, her voice hollow. It was then that she noticed the yard had gone silent as everyone had turned to listen in to this private conversation. "Duncan needed me. He's lived a shitty life and I wanted to help him, that's all."

"And helping him included fucking him, is that it?" Geoff asked. His voice was still calm, but Bridgette could tell he was struggling to maintain control.

"That just happened, it wasn't my intention to have sex with him, it just happened." Bridgette said, her voice pleading.

"It never just happens." Geoff said. "You had sex with him, you went behind my back and sex with another guy because you thought it would make him feel better. But what about me Bridgette? What about me? Did you ever stop and think how that would affect me? How that would affect us?"

"No." Bridgette answered. She didn't see the point in lying anymore. Lying was what had gotten her to this point and she knew it would only make things worse. "I didn't think about that, but I swear I never meant to hurt you Geoff." She could tell from the look on his face that he didn't believe her. She moved towards him, desperate to make him understand her reasons. "Geoff, please don't turn on me. I didn't mean to hurt you, I swear."

Bridgette reached out for him, but he swung out and struck her, sending her sprawling, his anger finally boiling over. "No, you did intend to hurt me." he shouted. "You couldn't even tell me you were tutoring him, so how am I supposed to believe anything else you say? You're a lier and I'm done with you. You broke my heart Bridgette and I'm done." He grabbed a chair and moved like he intended to hit her with it, but Scott stopped him.

"That's enough Geoff." Scott said. "You've said your bit, now let it go. There's no need for violence."

Geoff dropped the chair and pushed his brother away, hatred in his eyes. Owen moved towards them, in case a fight broke out, but the Martin brothers made no move to attack one another. Scott turned and offered his hand to Bridgette, heaving her back to her feet. The look on his face was unreadable but, Bridgette was certain it was not meant to be comforting. She looked around the crowd gathered in Owen's yard, seeing the looks of disgust, disappointment, anger, pity, sympathy, and satisfaction and felt a powerful urge to show all of these people the darkness that had been growing within her since the truth had been revealed. Instead, she turned and ran from the party, tears stinging her eyes as she left them all behind. She heard Owen call out her name, but ignored him wanting nothing more than to be alone, to find a place to drown her sorrow and pain and make it all go away for good.

**A/N: And there it is. The other shoe has dropped and all the hope that was building after the last chapter is gone. I'm sorry for that. I know a lot of you wanted the happiness to last, but it couldn't...at least not yet. By the way, the next chapter is why this story is rated M.**


	24. Alone in the Dark

**Warning: This chapter contains a graphic scene depicting actions of a sexual nature. If this is in any way disturbing, stop reading NOW!**

Bridgette didn't stop running until she was eight blocks from Owen's place, where she collapsed from exhaustion. Her whole body ached from crying and running and she was shaking with a mixture of anger, sorrow, and self loathing. Her head was throbbing, sharp stabs of pain resonating down her spine with each beat of her racing heart. And her mind was racing, chaotic, flashes of all of the events of the last couple of weeks racing past one another in a blur. As she calmed, Bridgette was able to pick specific moments out of the chaos in her mind. The moment Heather exposed the truth, her confrontation with Duncan, the meeting with the nerds, the meeting at Owen's house, and the confrontation with Geoff, all of these moments stood out in stark relief. And as the memory of each moment clarified, Bridgette began to cry harder, tears pouring down her cheeks like rivers.

Again, the questions she had been asking herself for days formed in her mind. How had it come to this? How had she been so blind to her friends suspicions? How had she not seen that her actions would cause others pain? How could she have trusted people like Heather and Mr. McLean with her secrets? Why had she not taken the time to consider the fact that her actions could lead her to this point, sitting cold and forgotten, alone in the dark with her sorrow?

A thought occurred to her then, a thought that was both tantalizing and terrifying. She could end it all, escape from this pain and never look back. All it would take was a razor blade or maybe some pills. But even as the thought entered her mind she knew she could never go through with it. If she killed herself she would never get a chance to answer the questions and she would never have a chance to make things right, not that she really believed there was any real chance of that now. She had seen the look in Geoff's eyes at the party, the look in Duncan's eyes at the park, the looks in everyone else's eyes in the hallway at school. Those looks had said more than words ever could and Bridgette knew that they were screaming insults, disappointment, and betrayal.

_"So why not just end it then?"_ a voice in her head asked. _"If you're so certain they're not going to take you back, why go on at all?"_

_"Because, dying doesn't solve anything."_ another voice answered. _"It feels like giving up __and I can't do that."_

_"But they won't take you back."_ the first voice said. _"And it's your own fault. You betrayed them, they opened themselves up to you when you were new here and took you in to their group, offered you friendship, and you stabbed them all in the back."_

_"No, I didn't." _the second voice cried. _"At least I didn't mean to. It was never my intention to cause anyone pain."_

_"But you did. You caused everyone pain. Geoff. Duncan. Nikki. Gwen. All of them. You willingly and knowingly caused them pain and you think you can win them back?"_ The first voice was full of gleeful malice now, making Bridgette shudder. She had always known that there was a darkness in her, there was darkness in everyone, but she had never dreamed that darkness would turn on her. The voice that was her darkness was right, she had betrayed her friends, and what was worse she had betrayed herself. She had allowed her own selfish desires to overshadow the needs of others, for the first time in her life she had put her own needs before those of people she cared about.

The darkness within smiled as this realization washed over her, bringing still more tears. _"You see, you see now what I mean?"_ the darkness asked. _"You took hold of their weaknesses and used them to your advantage, so you could experience personal pleasure. You betrayed everything you believe in simply so you could have some fun."_

_"No, it wasn't me." _the voice that was her light said, facing the darkness with vehement rage. _"It was you, you who are the darkness. You made me do it. I never wanted to hurt anyone, I just wanted to help Duncan and have friends and get through high school. But YOU manipulated ME, you made me turn my back on everything I believe in and I won't listen to you anymore!"_

The darkness smiled again and laughed, delighting in Bridgette's defiance. _"Bridgette, listen to me. You can't stop listening, you can't get away from me. And you know I'm right."_

Bridgette was terrified by the malice in her own mind, but she would not bow to the darkness. Somehow she would fight it, somehow she would defeat it. _"No, I can defeat you. You don't __control me and I will find a way to make things right."_

_"You still don't see it, do you Bridgette?"_ the darkness said, its smile making Bridgette convulse with terror. _"You cannot escape me and you will continue to betray those who love you. You can't escape Bridgette, you can't, because try as you may, you know the truth. I am you. We are one and the blame is on you."_

Bridgette felt an inhuman sob escape her at these words. "NO, YOU'RE WRONG!" she screamed aloud. "We are not the same. You're just the darkness in me and I can control you. I will control you. No matter how hard it is or how long it takes I will control you and I will make things right." She sat, breathing heavily after this declaration, allowing calm to wash over her again. Once she was certain she was calm and no longer arguing with her own mind, she stood and walked away from the street corner she was on.

* * *

Bridgette had no idea how long she wandered, but it must have been a few hours, by the time she sank onto a bench at one of the many bus stops located throughout the city. The stop was deserted which was fine with Bridgette. She wanted to be alone with her thoughts as she tried to figure out a way to clean up the mess she had made. She glanced at her phone, wondering what time it was. The clock on her phone stated it was 2:35 in the morning. She was vaguely aware that was more than an hour an a half past her curfew, but she didn't really care. If her parents were pissed when she got home, they could go right the fuck ahead and be pissed, it really didn't matter to her. She had too many other things on her mind to be concerned about what her parents would think about her breaking curfew.

She had been sitting on the bench for a few minutes when she heard a noise like someone moving behind her. She jumped to her feet and spun around, straining to see into the darkness that lay outside the pool of light cast by the street-lamp next to the bench. She couldn't see anyone there and after another moment of scanning decided it must have been a cat or something. Deciding that she would rather not spend any more time being freaked out by strange noises, Bridgette turned to leave, only to be struck by something heavy which sent her sprawling. The back of her head bounced off the bus stop bench, momentarily dazing her. As she shook her head and tried to stand, a pair of strong hands closed on her shoulders, pushing her back to the ground.

It was then that she saw what the hands were attached to. A man of medium hight, dressed all in black including a black ski mask covering his face, was holding her down on the pavement, one hand moving for the waist of her jeans. Realizing what was happening she reflexively kicked out, aiming for the man's groin. The man avoided her attack and dug his fingers into the waist of her jeans, ripping them off down to her knees. Her underwear came next and before Bridgette had a chance to react man was in her, penetrating deeper than she had ever thought was possible.

"NO, GET OFF ME!" she screamed, trying with all her might to push her attacker away. But his strength was too much to overcome and the force with which he violated her crushed the air from her lungs, making it impossible for her to cry out again. The pain was blinding and she could feel the inner walls of her vagina tear as he forced his way even deeper inside her. And then she felt his breath, hot and vile, on her neck as he whispered into her ear.

"You see Bridgette. This is what happens when you deny me. I take matters into my own hands so you can't have a fucking say, you fucking bitch."

Somehow through the haze of pain and terror she recognized her attacker's voice, but she was unable to put it with a face. But it was clear to her that this man knew her from somewhere and she knew him, her mind just couldn't grasp the answer as it was being overloaded with so much pain. And then, suddenly, the pain dulled and she felt his penis withdraw. For a moment she lay in pain on pavement, thinking her attacker had gone, and then she heard his voice again speaking from somwhere far above her.

"How was it Bridgette?" his voice asked. "Did you like the feeling of having me in you? Did it satisfy your fantasies?"

Bridgette wanted to tell him no, but she didn't have the strength. All she wanted was to escape the pain, to sink down into the darkness and never feel again. And then, as if the pain she already felt wasn't enough, she felt a sharp stab of pain in her abdomen as the blade of a hunting knife tore through her flesh. Twice more she felt searing stabs of pain and the hot gush of blood that accompanied them. And then she felt him lift her off the ground, holding her by her hair, bringing her right up to his face as he spoke again.

"Sorry about the stab wounds Blondy, but I can't have you telling the police that I raped you. It's unfortunate that you have to die, but at least I got what I wanted." He let go of her and she felt her head hit the pavement again and then there was silence.

For a moment that seemed like a thousand eternities she lay on the sidewalk, her breath coming in sharp, painful gasps. And then, somehow, she managed to drag herself to her feet, her entire body trembling as shock began to set in. She could feel the blood between her legs, warm and sticky, like syrup and fought the urge to hurl, ultimately losing the battle. She doubled over and vomited all over the sidewalk, clutching the bus stop bench for support. When she had finished disgorging her stomach contents she turned to leave, wanting nothing more than to get away from this horrid place.

Her overriding thought was that she needed help, but she doubted she walk all the way to the hospital. She thought of calling someone, but who would she call? Her friends were not speaking to her and her parents would be asleep. It was then that she realized what neighborhood she was in. How had she not seen it before? She had been to this neighborhood many times in the past several months and she felt ashamed that she hadn't recognized it sooner. She knew that she was shaken and disoriented and shock was setting in, but she should have recognized the neighborhood before the attack, when she wasn't suffering the effects of having just been raped. But even as feelings of shame began to creep into her mind, she pushed them aside. Now was not the time for such thoughts. She needed help and she knew exactly where to go. After steading herself, with the help of the lamp-post, she began staggering down the street towards the one house she had never imagined she would ever visit again.

It took Bridgette longer than she thought it would to reach the house, but she finally did. The house looked the same as it always did, with the overgrown yard, messy porch, and peeling paint. But in that moment, Bridgette had never wanted to see a place more. She staggered up the path to the front steps and then up the steps themselves, the whole time praying that he would answer the door and not his mother. She reached the door and knocked as hard as she could. For a moment there was silence and then she heard footsteps approaching from the other side of the door. The door opened and Duncan stood framed in the light from within the house.

"Bridgette?" he asked, only a slight trace of disgust in his voice. "What do you want?" She didn't answer and he looked closer at her, recoiling slightly at the sight of blood. "Bridgette, what fuck happened to you?" he asked, though he could guess.

Bridgette shook her head and said nothing. For a moment they stared at each other and then she spoke. "Help...me..." she gasped, before collapsing in Duncan's doorway.

**A/N: Okay, yes I did just do that. Bridgette was just raped and it was horrible. I want to make it clear that I do NOT think rape is a good thing. It is a horrible, vile, disgusting act and I am truely sorry if the inclusion of such a scene offended any of you. My intention was not to be disgusting or to offend, and again I am sorry if I did. But you must understand that the events of this chapter were a neccessary evil, for without them the conclusion of the story could not happen the way I want it to. So keep that in mind before you jump all over me for this (fair warning, if you leave reviews that are nothing more than angry insults, you will recieve equally angry responses from me). Now, with that out of the way, there are a few other notes to make on this chapter. The opening scene, where Bridgette is arguning with "the darkness" is a metaphore ment to illustrate her internal conflict regarding the events of the last few chapters. Also, in case you haven't noticed, I changed the summary of this fic to include a warning about this chapter. It was pointed out to me by someone who will remain anonomus, for reasons of avoiding any conflict, that I should mention in the summary that a scene of rape occurs in the fic, so readers are aware of this before hand. The warning was not previously included because, quite honestly, it never occured to me to include one. Sorry for that. Finally, we are now seven chapters away from the conclusion of this fic. I hope you have enjoyed it thus far and will stick with it to the end, despite the unpleasant content of this chapter.**


	25. How to Heal a Broken Heart

A beeping sound, constant and irritating like that of a heart monitor, was the first thing Bridgette became aware of as she slowly climbed back to consciousness. The next thing she noticed was the throbbing in her right hand where the IV was inserted. Then came the feeling of the soft, warm blankets that covered her, followed by the dull rumble of noise from the hallway outside her room. And then came the sound of a familiar voice, one she had known since the day she was born.

"Bridgette, honey, how are you feeling?" Her mother's voice was choked with emotion, though Bridgette was not entirely sure why. Truth be told she had no idea what she was doing in the hospital either, or how she even knew she was in the hospital.

Bridgette slowly opened her eyes, despite a desire to remain asleep. The images that greeted her were blurry and out of focus as though she was seeing them through frosted glass. She blinked a couple of times to clear her vision and focused on her mother, who was joined by Bridgette's father, a woman she assumed was a doctor and at least two other women whom she assumed were nurses. All of them were looking at her with looks of expectance and half concealed concern. This concerned Bridgette, for the only reason she could think of for her parents and three medical professionals to be looking at her with concern was if something bad had happened to her. But, as far as she could recall the worst thing that had happened to her recently was the implosion of her social life. Nothing else had happened, had it?

"Mom?" Bridgette asked, still staring at her mother. "Mom, what's going on? Where am I?"

"You're in the hospital honey." her father answered, speaking before her mother had a chance to.

"Why am I in the hospital?" Bridgette asked, still trying to think of what might have happened to her to land her in such a place.

"Bridgette you...you were..." her mother began, trailing off as her emotions overtook her.

"I was what?" Bridgette demanded. "Mom what happened to me?"

"Honey, you were attacked." her father answered again, as her mother seemed to be unable to. "You were attacked and raped."

"What?" Bridgette asked, too stunned to think of anything else to say.

"You were at a party with your friends and for some reason you left and some sick bastard attacked and raped you." her father answered, clearly trying to rush through the explanation so he didn't have to think about it anymore.

Bridgette was stunned. She had no recollection of any of what her father had just told her. She couldn't remember being at a party. Why would she have been at a party? She didn't have any friends any more, didn't her parents know that? And even if she had been at a party, why would she have left without anyone else? None of it made any sense, this had to a joke, a trick, something. There was no way any of it had happened.

But even as Bridgette thought this she felt doubt creep into her mind. What if it had all happened and she wasn't just being toyed with? And then, in a rush so overwhelming Bridgette actually cried out in pain, the memories came flooding back into her mind. The party, Geoff, wandering around lonely and scared, the voices in her head, the man dressed in black, the pain and fear and shame and blood and vomit, Duncan. All the images of that horrible night replayed in her mind like some sort of horrifying movie being projected onto the backs of her closed eyelids. And as the movie played, tears began to flow freely, streaming down Bridgette's cheeks as she realized what this all meant. Her life was over and she would forever be marked as a victim of the crime she considered second only to murder on her list of the worst crimes people can commit.

She looked at her parents and fought the urge to scream. "Oh, God." she sobbed. "It happened, it really happened. I was a victim, I didn't remember to defend myself like you guys taught me too." Bridgette's father had been a security guard in a previous life and he had learned many tactics on how to deal with attackers, something he had made sure to pass on to his only daughter.

"No Bridgette, honey, you can't blame yourself for this." her father said, sitting beside her on the bed and wrapping his arms around his trembling, terrified daughter. "You were caught off guard, you weren't given a chance to fight and for that I am sorry. I didn't teach you well enough."

Bridgette knew her father was trying to comfort her and on some level it was working, but she was certain it would take more than her father's words to make her forget that night. Still, she was grateful that her parents were there for her and she couldn't bring herself to tell them that she was damaged beyond their capacity to help. She smiled at her father and said, "No dad, you taught me more than enough. I just wasn't prepared for it is all." It wasn't a total lie. She hadn't been prepared for the attack that night, but she had been worried something like this would happen ever since she had rebuffed his first attempt to get into her pants. Why she hadn't said something to her parents sooner she would never know, but it didn't matter now. The act had been committed and all she could do was move on, try to heal and hope he was eventually caught.

"Why couldn't I remember the attack when I first woke up?" Bridgette asked, turning the conversation in another direction.

"It seems you hit your head pretty hard sometime during the attack and you suffered a mild concussion." the doctor, who had watched Bridgette's reaction to the truth in silence, said with a somber smile. "My name is Doctor Lunderman, but you can call me Theresa. I performed the surgery that saved your life and have been monitoring your condition ever since."

"Wait, what surgery?" Bridgette asked, looking from Doctor Lunderman to her parents and back again, panic rising in her chest.

"You were violently raped and then stabbed several times." Doctor Lunderman answered, her voice calm and reassuring. "One of the stab wounds punctured your left lung and another nicked your liver. It was necessary to perform surgery to repair the damage to prevent you from losing any more blood than you already had."

"H-how much blood did I loose?" Bridgette asked, her voice catching in her throat.

"Quite a bit." Doctor Lunderman answered. "It took at least one transfusion to keep you alive, though I should point out that you are a fighter Bridgette. Given the amount of blood you had lost when you arrived at the hospital and the severity of your wounds, you should have died. A lesser human being would have, but it is clear to me that your desire to live is very strong and you hung on even when it seemed like hope was lost."

Bridgette smiled and nodded, not sure of she liked Doctor Lunderman's overly analytical descriptions of her ordeal, but grateful to her all the same. "How long was I out?" she asked.

"You were unconscious for three days." Doctor Lunderman answered, glancing at Bridgette's parents, who both cringed a bit at these words. "Given the extent of your injuries I deemed it necessary to keep you sedated for a few days to ensure you would not pop your sutures when you were told of your ordeal. Although, given how calm you were when you first woke up, I think that may have been a mistake on my part." She smiled and shrugged, as if this small lack of oversight didn't bother her at all. She then cast another glance at Bridgette's parents, who both nodded.

Bridgette noticed this exchange and looked at her parents for an answer. "What, is there something you're not telling me?" she asked.

"Well, there is one other thing you should know, honey." her mother answered.

"What? What is-" She stopped, a fresh wave of horror flooding her as she realized what they were getting at. "Oh God, I'm not...not...pregnant, am I?"

"No Bridgette, I assure you, you are not pregnant." Doctor Lunderman said, drawing a sigh of relief from Bridgette. "It is curious, given how violently you were-" She paused, shook her head and continued. "You are not pregnant, but traces of semen were recovered from your vagina and they have been sent to the crime lab for DNA testing. I daresay we will have an identity for your attacker within a few days."

Bridgette smiled and nodded again, glad she wasn't pregnant. And she was glad DNA evidence had been recovered, though she didn't need tests to know who her attacker was. She already knew that, but since she was unwilling to tell anyone that fact just then, she was glad that the prick had left something behind so he could be positively identified.

* * *

Several hours later, after spending some time alone with her parents, Bridgette was dozing when the sound of footsteps drew her from sleep. She glanced around the room, slightly disoriented due to the pain medication she was on, finding her parents standing near the door with the last person on Earth she had expected to see.

"Honey, there's someone here who wants to talk to you." her mother said, indicating Geoff, who gave Bridgette an embarrassed smile.

"Geoff, what are you doing here?" Bridgette asked. There was no anger in her voice, only questioning. She was genuinely puzzled by Geoff's presence and seemed unable to fully accept that he was standing in her hospital room.

For his part, Geoff looked confused as well but there was something in his eyes that made Bridgette certain he wasn't there to yell at her. "I...I heard..." he began, his voice trailing off into uncertainty. "Bridgette I'm sorry. I am so very sorry."

Bridgette was stunned. What was Geoff apologizing for? She was the one who had done wrong by him. Why was he apologizing for her mistakes? It didn't make sense and completely contradicted his actions at the party, where he had seemed ready to physically assault her, at the very least. She stared at him, trying to read his expression and was so wrapped up in this quandary that she didn't notice that her parents had left until she heard the door close. She glanced at the door, part of her wishing they would come back. But a larger part of her was glad they had left. This matter was between her and Geoff and she didn't need her parents there asking questions that would only complicate things further.

"What are you sorry for?" Bridgette finally asked, not quite meeting Geoff's gaze.

"I turned my back on you Bridgette." Geoff said, moving over to her bed. "I let my anger get the better of me and I turned my back on you. And then you were attacked by some sick psycho."

"Geoff, that isn't your fault." Bridgette said, resisting the urge to reach out and take his hand. "You're not the one who attacked me. That was...someone...and you can't blame yourself for that. It isn't right."

"But I'm the reason you were out there alone." Geoff said, his gaze fixed on the floor as though he was hiding some great personal shame. "If I hadn't reacted the way I did at the party, you wouldn't have run off and you wouldn't have been attacked. You wouldn't have been..." He seemed unable to say the word, and Bridgette knew why. He was putting the blame for what had happened to her on his shoulders and she had to convince him not to. It wasn't his fault and he couldn't carry the burden forever.

"Okay, that may be true, but you were justified in your reaction." Bridgette said, noting the look of disgust that crossed his face at these words. "I did horrible things to you Geoff. You trusted me and I betrayed that trust. I went behind your back and slept with Duncan and I shouldn't have done that. It was wrong and I'm sorry. From the bottom of my heart, I'm sorry."

Geoff looked up then, his eyes sparkling with tears. "You're wrong Bridgette." he said, his voice choked with emotion. "You're wrong. You didn't betray me. I betrayed you. I should have seen that you wanted more than just romance and I should have given you what you wanted. I ignored your needs and you ended up getting raped because of my stupidity."

Bridgette didn't know what to say. She was touched by Geoff's words, but she knew he was wrong, at least a little. She had wanted more from him than just romance, but that didn't mean she had wanted sex. She had not intended for that to happen with Duncan either, it just had, and she had gone with it because it seemed to be what Duncan had needed at the time. But sex had never been what she had wanted from either of them and somehow she had to make Geoff see that. He was blaming himself for things that weren't his fault, that he had never had control of, and that simply wasn't right. No one, especially Geoff, should have bare Bridgette's burden for her and she wasn't about to let him do it.

"Geoff listen to me, you have it all backwards." Bridgette said, a touch of pleading in her voice now. "I never wanted sex from anyone. I was just trying to help Duncan and it happened. I'm sorry about that, but you need to understand that this is my burden. You don't have to help me carry it."

"But I want to Bridgette. I want to." Geoff said, taking her hand and holding it tightly. "I want to be there for you no matter what. Forget the past, it's over, done with, we can't change it. This is the present and all I know right now is that I love you Bridgette Wells. I love you, despite your mistakes, and I want to be there by your side from now on, no matter what happens. I forgive you, I love you, and all I ask is that you forgive me as well."

Fresh tears had begun to role down Bridgette's cheeks as Geoff finished speaking and she gave him a watery smile, overcome with gratitude for his honesty and love. "You have nothing that you need to be forgiven for, but if it helps you move on I'll forgive you." she said. "I love you too Geoff and I am eternally sorry for what I have done."

"I know you are." Geoff said with a smile. "And everyone else does too."

"How do you know that?" Bridgette asked, puzzled.

"Because they've all been trying to get in here to see you ever since the news of the attack was on the front page of Saturday's paper." Geoff said.

Bridgette felt a great swell of gratitude for her friends, both those she had betrayed and those she had gained in the wake of that betrayal. It seemed she had found her way to get them to take her back, though it wasn't exactly what she had hoped for when she had resolved to get them back. Still, she could not deny that her spirits had been lifted and her broken heart had been at least partially healed. She knew it would take more than Geoff's declarations to fully heal the wounds but at that moment she was just glad to have him back. She leaned in and kissed him for the first time in weeks, feeling the same jolt of electricity she had felt the very first time she had kissed him. Geoff responded to her kiss by pulling her closer, ignoring the IV tubes and wires that connected Bridgette to the various pieces of medical equipment that monitored her vital signs. But just as they began make out the door opened, making them both turn to see who was killing their romantic vibes. Bridgette inhaled sharply and Geoff cursed at the sight of the man standing before them.

Duncan had stopped by and the look on his face at the sight of the two of them intertwined in Bridgette's hospital bed was downright murderous.

**A/N: Well, there you go. Bridgette's finally getting some happiness back in her life, though it's still not all good. At least not yet, anyway. She still has the emotional and psychological wounds left by her attack to deal with as well as the identity of her attacker to learn, though as I pointed out she already knows who it is. I'm sure many of you have figured it out as well, but I won't confirm or deny anything just yet. All will be revealed in the coming chapters (of which there are only six left) and I can promise you that the ending will be good.**


	26. Conflicts Resolved

Bridgette and Geoff pulled apart, both slightly embarrassed by being caught making out in a hospital, and Geoff stepped away from the bed, his eyes never leaving Duncan. Bridgette was struck by how much the two of them resembled two wolves about to clash over the last scrap of meat. It was then, with startling realization, that Bridgette realized that she was that scrap of meat and she knew what was about to happen before it did.

Geoff and Duncan were inching closer to one another, seemingly oblivious to the fact that Bridgette was even in the room. But she was and she had to stop this before it started. A fight between the two guys she had loved was the last thing she needed, especially since it would most likely alert hospital security and Duncan and Geoff would be banned from coming to see her again.

"No, guys, please don't." she pleaded, as Geoff and Duncan inched still closer, looks of murderous hatred on both their faces. They ignored her and before she could do any more to stop them Geoff was on Duncan like a rabid animal.

"Who the fuck do you think you are, coming here?" Geoff shouted, his fists connecting with Duncan's face more than once. "Don't you understand that all of this shit is your fault, you twisted fucker. Get out of here, nobody wants you around."

Duncan shoved Geoff off of him, his fist connecting with Geoff's face a second later. "Shut up, you brain-dead stoner." Duncan shouted. "Just, SHUT THE FUCK UP!" He jumped to his feet, hauling Geoff up with him. He pulled Geoff close his fingers digging into the neckline of Geoff's shirt. "Don't you understand anything?" he asked. "She came to me, you idiot, she came to me. When you couldn't give her what she wanted she came to me and when she was attacked she came to me."

"Yeah, cuz you were the one who attacked her." Geoff snapped. "Everyone knows you're just a no good delinquent Duncan, it was only a matter of time before you did something horrible to Bridgette. And then you have the balls to come visit her in the hospital? You really are some kind of sick fucker, aren't you?"

"God, do you you even hear yourself?" Duncan shouted. "She came to me after she was attacked cuz my house was closest to were the attack happened. I was the one who called 9-1-1, I was the one who made sure she made it safely to the hospital, I was the one who sat in that fucking waiting room for over fourteen hours while she was in surgery. Where the fuck were you Geoff? You were at some bullshit party at Owen's with no fucking idea she was even hurt and I bet you didn't care either. So why are you here Geoff, that's what I want to know."

"I don't owe you any fucking explanations, you piece of shit." Geoff snapped. "I love her, I have since we first met, and I'll be damned if I let some douchbag from the bottom of crap heap who doesn't even know what love is take her from me."

"You'll be wanting to take that back now." Duncan snarled through clenched teeth.

"Yeah, that so?" Geoff asked. "Why don't you fucking make me?"

Duncan moved to strike again but at that moment Bridgette's father burst into the room and lunged at both boys. With strength and quickness that surprised even Bridgette, Mr. Wells yanked Duncan and Geoff apart and held them each at arms length until the fight went out of both of them.

"Okay, now that I've got you two idiots attention would someone care to explain to me why you're fighting in my daughter's hospital room?" Mr. Wells asked, barely containing his rage.

"We both love your daughter sir." Geoff said, with a quick glance at Bridgette. "But one of us is responsible for what happened to her and we were just trying to figure out who."

"What do you mean one of you is responsible for what happened to her?" Mr. Wells asked, his stern gaze passing from Geoff to Duncan and back again.

"Well, not directly responsible." Geoff amended. "But our actions caused her to be out there alone that night. See, Bridgette was in relationships with both of us and when we found out we both kind of lost it and we both dumped her."

Mr. Wells looked over at his daughter, who had tears in her eyes, and asked the question he already knew the answer to. "Bridgette, honey, is this true? Were you in relationships with both of these boys?"

Bridgette hesitated a moment before answering. "Yes." she said, her voice choked with emotion. "I was, but it didn't start out that way. Originally I was only dating Geoff, but then I started tutoring Duncan and things happened I wasn't able to forsee and then everything went to hell. I'm sorry I didn't tell you and mom, I just didn't want you to be angry. I was so afraid that you'd be angry and all I wanted was to fit in and then I messed up. I cheated on Geoff and it cost me everything, my boyfriend, my friends, my tutoring job, everything." She was shaking with sobs by now and her father was speechless, as were Duncan and Geoff.

"Is that why you've seemed so depressed lately, honey?" Bridgette's mother asked. Everyone in room looked at Mrs. Wells, whom they hadn't even heard come in, and saw that she was crying as well.

"Yes." Bridgette confessed, still choking on tears. "I thought my life was over. All I wanted was to be happy and for everyone else to be happy and I fucked it all up. I am so sorry I didn't say anything. I just didn't want to cause any more pain, I didn't want to drag anyone else down with me."

Mr. Wells moved to his daughter's side and once again wrapped his arms around her trembling body. "No, honey, your mother and I could never hate you and judging by what I've seen from your friends, neither can they. All we want is for you to be happy. You've spent so much of you life looking out for everyone else, now it's time for you to look out for yourself. You're strong Bridgette, you're smart, you're funny, you're kind, you're everything your mother and I raised you to be. You deserve to be happy and we will do whatever it takes to ensure that you are."

Bridgette smiled as her father stopped speaking, wiping away the tears as she did. She saw the looks on the faces of her mother, Geoff, and Duncan and knew that they would back up her father's words. She was grateful for their willingness to forgive and she hoped everyone else would be just as willing, though she was still unsure if they would.

"Bridgette, I'm sorry for fightling like that." Geoff said. "I hope you can forgive me." He glanced at Duncan and continued. "I'm sorry for being a dick Duncan. I don't know what came over me there, I'm not usually such a confrontational person."

"It's cool dude." Duncan said, nodding. "I understand why you were pissed, trust me, I do. But we can't let our feelings get in the way anymore. We're here to support Bridgette and that's what we should be focused on."

Geoff nodded and the two of them shook hands, though Bridgette could tell that they weren't done with their conflict. But at least they were willing to put their differences aside for her. She smiled at both of them, glad they were no longer fighting, and hoped her other friends could reach the same understanding with her. Something hit her then, her father had said he had seen her friends showing love for her, but they weren't here, were they?

"Dad, you mentioned my friends earlier?" she asked. "How do you know they don't still hate me?"

"Because we're here Bridgette." said Nikki, as she entered the room. "And we're sorry for turning our backs on you."

Bridgette smiled, her smile growing wider when she noticed that Gwen, Owen, Izzy, Trent, Wyatt, Jude, Starr, Marlowe, LeShawna, and Zeke were there as well. "Oh my God." she breathed, her voice barely a whisper. She had not expected her friends to show up to visit her, especially after all that had happened. But some part of her was not surprised that they were there and she could not deny that she was grateful.

"Guys, I...I'm so sorry for everything I've done." Bridgette said, unable to contain her emotions as she spoke.

"Bridgette, don't." said Gwen. "Don't apologize. We are the one's who were in the wrong, not you. It was wrong of us to turn our backs on you and we're all sorry. You were just doing what you thought was right and I, at least, cannot blame you for trying to help someone who had been ignored and pushed aside by everyone else. In fact, I commend you for that. It's something that I'm not sure I would have the strength to do."

Bridgette was touched by Gwen's words, but she was not sure she fully agreed with them. It was hard for her to accept the apologies of her friends because she knew that no matter how many of them told her she wasn't at fault, she was. She had wronged all of them and they had reacted in the same way she would have if the circumstances had been different. Still, it was nice to be speaking with them again, so she decided to keep her feelings to herself.

"Thanks Gwen." Bridgette said, smiling at the goth. She noticed the look on Duncan's face as well and could tell that he had been touched by Gwen's words as well. This made her feel better about what Gwen had said, as she realized Gwen hadn't been solely apologizing to her, she had been giving Bridgette justification for cheating with Duncan.

"I'm so glad you guys are here." she said. "It was like hell coming to school and having to face you all everyday."

"I bet it was." Nikki said, with a grin. "I just wish our reunion could have happened somewhere else."

Bridgette gave Nikki a puzzled glance, which LeShawna seemed to notice because she said, "Nikki hates hospitals, they give her the creeps or something like that."

Bridgette smiled and nodded. "I can't say I disagree with that." she said. "I'm not particularly fond of hospitals myself. I can't see why anyone would like spending time in a place like this, unless they had no other choice."

"Like you then." said Eva, as she, Katie, Sadie, and the nerds entered.

"Yeah, I guess you've got a point there." Bridgette said, smiling at her new group of friends. She was not surprised that they had shown up, except for Noah, whom she had thought would ignore her for the rest of eternity.

"How are doing Bridgette?" Noah asked, still not quite able to drop his overly formal manner.

"Pretty good, considering." Bridgette answered, surprised by his concern.

"That's good to know." Noah said, with a curt nod.

Bridgette smiled, though she was fairly sure she would never have the same affection for Noah that she had for everyone else in the room. Not that it really mattered. She had more than enough friends and she was about to find out she had more.

There was a knock on the door and a moment later Jen, Courtney, Jonesy, and D.J. entered, followed by Heather and her gang and the Three Kings. Bridgette felt her chest constrict at the sight of these individuals. She had never been close with any of them, except D.J. and the Kings, and she was sure the only reason they were there was to gloat. But then she noticed the distraught look on Heather's face and she realized they were there for something else.

Heather made her way over to Bridgette's bed, cold looks following her from every corner of the room. She sat on the side of the bed, her eyes locking with Bridgette's for just a moment and then she spoke. "Bridgette I'm sorry for everything that I have done to you this year. I know it's my fault that this happened to you and I feel horrible about that. Know that if I could take it all back I would and I hope that we can be friends someday."

Bridgette saw the looks of mistrust and disgust on many of the faces in the room as Heather finished speaking, but she could tell that Heather's words were genuine. There was something about the way that the leader of the popular girls looked at her that made Bridgette realize that Heather was actually sorry, that she actually meant every word she had said.

"Yes Heather, I think that us becoming friends someday is a possibility." Bridgette said, ignoring the looks she got from Nikki and Gwen. "And know that I do not blame you for the attack. Because unless you're actually a dude, it wasn't your fault."

Heather smiled and nodded, seemingly relived that Bridgette hadn't shouted at her. Truthfully Bridgette was unsure if she could ever consider Heather a friend, but she was unwilling to kill the happiness of the moment. All she cared about at that moment was that she had people she cared about, people who cared about her as well, with her to help her through the horrors of her ordeal. It was then that Courtney spoke, adding her two cents to the pile.

"I am also sorry for giving you the cold shoulder." she said. "And I know Jen is as well. We should have been more accepting of you from the beginning and we weren't. But we are now. You have my word that from this moment forward you have our complete and total support and friendship."

"Thank you Courtney." Bridgette said, with another smile. "But I want all of you to know that you don't have to be so worried. I don't blame any of you and I never will. You each did what you thought was right and I cannot hate you for that, so please stop with the apologies. None of you have anything to apologize for." It wasn't entirely true and Bridgette could tell that many of them didn't completely buy her pitch, but as long as they stopped blaming themselves she was okay with that.

It was then that she felt an overpowering desire to tell them all to leave, all but three whom she needed to speak with in private. "I'm sorry to have to ask this, but could I speak with just the Three Kings for a moment?" she asked.

A wave of concerned looks passed around the room at these words and Bridgette knew why. She had figured most of them would already have some inkling about the identity of her attacker, but she didn't want to discuss it with them, least of all her parents, Geoff, and Duncan, as the questions would be too hard to answer. However she had to tell someone and she figured the Kings were her best option, as they would know how to handle the situation best. She saw the hesitation in the eyes of many of the people gathered in her room, but after a moment her father nodded and moved towards the door.

"Okay people, you heard my daughter." her father said. "She wants to speak to the Kings alone, so everyone get out." Heeding his own words, Mr. Wells was the first to leave and the others followed him in fairly quick succession. Within a minute or two Bridgette was left alone with the Kings and she breathed a sigh of relief.

The Kings were all watching her closely, and she was struck by how fatherly they seemed in that moment. She took a moment to compose her thoughts and then glanced at each of them in turn, making sure none of them had any intentions of leaving.

None of them did and after a moment Chef asked, "Alright Miss Wells, what is it you want to discuss with us?"

"I know the identity of my attacker." she said, her face expressionless.

The Kings seemed surprised by this, but none of them flinched, as though they were trying to hide the fact that they were surprised.

"Are you certain about that, Miss Wells?" Ron asked, his eyes boring into hers.

"Yes." Bridgette answered, trying her best not to flinch.

"And the identity of this individual is?" Ron asked, still staring at her with his intense, piercing gaze.

"Chris McLean." Bridgette answered, feeling the bile rise in throat at the mere mention of his name.

The Kings seemed genuinely surprised this time and they shared a look of concern. "How do you know it was Mr. McLean, Miss Wells?" Coach asked.

"He taunted me during the attack." Bridgette answered, trying very hard not to burst into tears as the memories of that night flashed through her mind once again. "And I recognized his voice."

"That's a good theory Miss Wells." said Chef. "But it'll never hold up in court. Simply stating that you recognized your attacker's voice won't even get him arrested. I'm afraid you don't have anything of value for an investigation, assuming of course that you were asking us to investigate the attack against you."

"I was going to ask that yes." Bridgette answered, trying not to panic. "But you don't seem to believe my 'theory', as you call it, so I guess I won't ask."

"On the contrary Miss Wells, it's not that we don't believe you, it's just that we can't do anything to help." said Ron. "Christopher McLean is indeed a pervert and a pedophile, but he seems to have disappeared and we have no way of finding him."

"I'm sorry, but that's bullshit." Bridgette said, her emotions starting to boil over. "You can find him, you just don't want to because he's your friend and you don't want to ruin that relationship because some stupid teenage girl got herself raped by that sick asshole. It's obvious you've known for quite some time that he's a pedophile and yet you haven't reported anything, which makes the three of you just as guilty as him."

"You presume too much, Miss Wells." Chef said. "We are not friends with McLean, not anymore at any rate, and we certainly don't condone his actions against you or anyone else."

"Then why won't you help me?" Bridgette asked, tears beginning to fall.

"Because it blows our cover." Coach answered, with a glance at the other two.

Bridgette stared at him, still processing his words. What the hell was he talking about? What cover? Were the Kings some kind of secret agents or something?

Seeing the confused look on her face Chef moved to explain. "We are undercover informants working with the local police to protect the youth of this city. Five years ago, the police department learned that McLean was seducing underage girls and having sex with them, but they couldn't prove anything. So they asked the three of us to observe him and gather intell so he could eventually be brought to justice. We have been doing just that and to go after him without knowing for sure that he attacked you could compromise the entire investigation."

"So, what, I'm just supposed to sit here and hope that he's caught someday?" Bridgette asked, disliking the prospect.

"No." said Ron. "Something just occurred to me that could help us. It is my understanding that traces of genetic material belonging to your attacker were recovered from you when you arrived at the hospital. If that DNA is a match with McLean's, we'll have him. So, to that end, I will make a promise to you right now that if the evidence is conclusive, we will do everything in out power to ensure that McLean is found, caught, and brought to justice."

Bridgette nodded to show she accepted Ron's deal, though she was unsure if it would work out. There were too many ifs for her to be completely comforted, but it was the best she had at the moment.

"I have one more question Miss Wells." Coach asked, before the Kings departed. "Why didn't you want your parents here for this discussion?"

"Because I didn't want to worry them." Bridgette answered. "It's already bad enough that their daughter got raped and to add on top of that that fact that she thinks her attacker was one of her teachers would be too much for them to handle at the moment."

"I understand." Coach said, with a nod. "And just so you know, we have never considered you to be a 'stupid' teenage girl. We are well aware of how smart you are, remember it was us who asked you to tutor Duncan. You are good person Bridgette, and I am sorry something so horrible had to happen to you."

Bridgette smiled and nodded, appreciating his words. She could tell that Chef and Ron felt the same way and she was glad that they had agreed to help. As she watched them leave, she felt a wave of relief wash over her. Her ordeal wasn't over yet, but the conclusion was approaching and she was glad she had everyone back in her life. It made her happy to know that the conflicts had been resolved, to a point, and that she would never be alone again.

**A/N: And there you go, everything's back to being good. Well, mostly everything, but you get the point. Anyway, 5 chapters left and then we'll be done, I hope you've enjoyed it so far.**


	27. Prom

The day after waking up in the hospital Bridgette awoke to a feeling she hadn't felt in weeks, the feeling of happiness and contentment. She was still overwhelmed by the feeling and the kindness her family and friends had shown her, but she knew her ordeal wasn't over yet. Her conversation with the Kings had made that perfectly clear, but she was certain everything would work out in the end. Besides, she had other endeavors to look forward to, namely her impending graduation from high school. But there was more than just graduation on her mind, her senior prom was only a few days away and she was uncertain if she would be able to be there. Her wounds were still not fully healed and she was still experiencing pain in the places she'd been stabbed, not to mention between her legs. There was also the emotional and psychological damage that had been done for her to deal with and she was certain her parents and Doctor Lunderman would want her to undergo treatment before releasing her back into the world. But for Bridgette that arrangement would be unacceptable. She had missed her junior prom in Point Stevens and she would be damned if she was going to miss her senior prom too.

Bridgette wasn't the only one who was determined to get her to prom. Her friends, especially Nikki and Gwen, had become obsessed with finding a way to get her out of the hospital, but Bridgette made it clear that they were not to try and sneak her out, no matter how badly they all wanted too. It just wasn't worth the risk.

"Besides, it's just prom." Bridgette said that afternoon while Nikki and Gwen were visiting. "I would do anything to make it, but if doesn't happen, it doesn't happen. I don't want you guys doing anything illegal just cuz you want to make up for what happened between us." She could tell Nikki and Gwen weren't convinced, but decided not to point that out.

"Okay, so we won't sneak you out." Nikki said, with a sigh. "But we won't go to prom without you Bridgette. It just won't be the same. After everything you've been through you deserve a night of fun."

Bridgette smiled, appreciating Nikki's words more than she could possibly express, but she had to accept the fact that she might not make it to prom. However, she wasn't about to let her friends suffer just cuz she had to. "No, Nik, I want you guys to go even if I can't. Promise me that you will. Please, promise me?"

"Okay, we'll fucking go." Nikki said, with another sigh. "Just stop doing that self loathing thing okay. It's not your fault things happened the way they did."

Bridgette nodded, but said nothing. It was true, it wasn't entirely her fault things had happened the way they had and she had promised not to blame herself anymore, but she couldn't help it. Every time she tried to place blame on someone else she felt horrible. But Nikki was right and Bridgette resolved to stop feeling sorry for herself. She had gotten everything back and had no reason to feel depressed anymore.

"So, how're things at school?" Bridgette asked, steering the conversation in another direction before Nikki and Gwen could come up with anymore schemes to get her to prom.

"Pretty much the same, y'know?" Gwen answered. "The only real change is, well, no one has seen Mr. McLean since the day before you were attacked."

Bridgette felt an icy lump form in the pit of her stomach at the mention of Mr. McLean's name. She glanced at the other two, but neither of them gave any indication that they had seen her squirm. "Huh, I wonder why that is?" she asked, staring straight ahead to avoid making eye contact with the other two.

"Come on Bridgette, don't bullshit us." said Gwen. "We know it was McLean who attacked you that night. Everyone does."

Bridgette felt the color drain from he face. Everyone knew? How was that possible? The Kings had promised they would keep it a secret, hadn't they? Had they been lying to her? Or had everyone else figured it out on their own?

Seeing the look on Bridgette's face Gwen moved to comfort her friend. "We figured it out on our own, in case you're wondering." she said. "When news broke that you'd been attacked there was a flurry of speculation that spread through the school like wildfire. Some people thought it was Duncan or even Geoff who had attacked you, but we figured it was McLean, given how he was hitting on you so much. I assume you've told someone?"

"Yeah, I told the Kings." Bridgette answered. "And they said they'd look into it. Also the doctors told me some DNA was recovered, so we'll know for sure in a few days." She felt herself calm again as she said these words, though she was still horrified that people had suspected Duncan and Geoff, even though they were logical suspects.

"Anyway, I think we need to consider a few more options for how we can get you to prom." Nikki said, steering the conversation back to their original topic of discussion.

Bridgette smiled and nodded, pushing the thoughts of McLean and the attack to the back of her mind again.

* * *

Bridgette would get her answer about prom two days later during a meeting with her parents and Doctor Lunderman. They had been discussing potential psychiatrists Bridgette could meet with to help her deal with the emotional and psychological issues she was sure to face when she asked the question.

"So, I know it's only been a few days since I was raped and nearly killed, but my senior prom is coming up and I was wondering if I'll be able to go?" she asked, looking from her mother to her father and finally to Doctor Lunderman.

Her parents exchanged a look of concern, while Doctor Lunderman looked her with an analytical gaze, as though she was trying to deconstruct Bridgette's mind. All three of them looked like they were less than thrilled with the idea and Bridgette felt her heart sink. She had been afraid of this and was not totally surprised that she wouldn't be able to go, but she had hoped at least one of them would understand.

After a prolonged moment of silence her mother looked at Doctor Lunderman and asked, "Would it be possible for her to attend her prom?"

Doctor Lunderman glanced at Bridgette and answered. "Certainly. Her wounds are healing nicely and she does not need to continue receiving pain medication intravenously. However, I do have concerned about her being too physically active, as that could result in further damage to her vaginal wall, as those injuries will take longer to heal. That being said, it is ultimately Bridgette's decision. If she feels as though she is healed enough than I see no reason not to let her attend her prom."

Bridgette's mother glanced at her, her eyes questioning. "Bridgette, honey, do you feel like you're up to this? Because you don't have to go if you aren't."

"Yes mom, I feel okay." Bridgette answered, with a smile. "There's still a bit of pain, but I feel like I can do this without injuring myself further."

"Okay, well it looks like you're going to prom then." her father said, with a smile.

Bridgette smiled again, glad her parents and Doctor Lunderman had chosen to make the decision hers. Truthfully, there was a part of her that wasn't ready to leave the hospital yet, but that part of her was drowned out by the part of her that had been screaming for release ever since she had first woken up and realized where she was.

"Okay, well I'll send a nurse up with your discharge papers." Doctor Lunderman said. "I'm also going to give you this," she added, handing Bridgette a slip of paper with the name of a medication written on it. "It's a slightly smaller dose of the medication you've been receiving here, just in case you need it." She smiled and left the room, leaving Bridgette alone with her parents.

Moments later a nurse arrived with Bridgette's discharge papers and clean clothes, which Bridgette changed into with as much joy as she could muster. Spending nearly a week in a hospital gown had been an uncomfortable experience, one Bridgette was keen to avoid again in the future. The nurse helped her into a wheelchair, as it was hospital policy that all patients be assisted to the exit to avoid unnecessary strain.

Bridgette smiled as she passed through the front doors of the hospital, glad to be leaving the place behind. She and her parents were greeted by her friends and classmates, the Kings, and doctors and nurses who all applauded her for her strength and resolve in the face of such a horrific ordeal. Bridgette smiled, appreciating the support and gave Nikki and Gwen a grin that told them all they needed to know. Bridgette was going to prom and her friends could not have been more happy for her.

* * *

Within twenty four hours of leaving the hospital Bridgette found herself caught up in a whirlwind of chaos as she prepared for prom. First on her agenda was finding the perfect dress, an endeavor all of her girlfriends insisted on being a part of. Bridgette was surprised Nikki and Gwen were so into dress shopping, but they were just as obsessed with helping Bridgette find a dress as everyone else was. It was strange to have Heather and her girls along for the trip, but Bridgette supposed this was their way of trying to make up for the horrible things they had done to her all year. Truthfully, Bridgette was a bit freaked out by the sudden change in Heather's personality. There seemed to be something more than a desire to atone for past actions at work in Heather's mind and Bridgette was very curious to find out what. But she felt uncomfortable with asking, as Heather's actions could be motivated by something more personal than Bridgette cared to know, and she was fairly sure she already knew the answer anyway. It was know secret that Heather had been sexually active with Mr. McLean and Bridgette had a feeling that had something to do with Heather's sudden rash of kindness. Still, she felt uncomfortable asking and if that was the reason Heather would tell Bridgette when she was ready.

"How about this one Bridgette?" Heather asked, bringing Bridgette out of her thoughts. She was holding a long, sleek, pale blue dress that was neither too plain nor too extravagant.

Bridgette eyed the dress with anticipation, cocking her head to the side in speculation. She had already tried on eleven dresses, none of which had been anything special. But there was something about this dress that spoke to her in a way the others hadn't. Bridgette had always been the kind of person who went with her gut and right now her gut was telling her this was the dress she was going to wear to prom. It helped that the dress was blue, which had always been Bridgette's favorite color.

She took the dress from Heather and entered the dressing room once again. She slipped the dress on and, after taking a few minutes to look at herself in the mirror, she stepped out so the others could see.

There were gasps of surprise and approval from many of the girls gathered around her and Bridgette saw Izzy grin. Nikki and Gwen both nodded in approval and Heather smiled. The others all gave signs of approval as well and then LeShawna said, "Damn girl, you look like you're headed for Hollywood, not prom."

Bridgette felt herself blush and grinned at LeShawna. "Come on guys, I can't look that good." she said, trying to hide her embarrassment.

"No, Bridgette, LeShawna's right." said Geoff as he stepped out from behind a rack of dresses behind the other girls. "You look beautiful."

"Geoff, what the hell are you doing here?" Gwen demanded. "This is a girls only zone."

"Oh come on Gwen, it's a prom dress, not a wedding dress." Geoff said, rolling his eyes. "Last I checked, there's no superstitions about seeing you're prom date in her dress before the dance."

Gwen gave him the finger and Bridgette chuckled, several of the others joining in as well. Geoff shrugged, not the least bit embarrassed by the reaction to his comments. He walked forward and pulled Bridgette towards him, pressing his lips against hers. For a moment she forget they weren't alone and let herself fall into the glowing light that always seemed to manifest when she and Geoff kissed. And then she gasped, wincing in pain as his body pressed against hers.

Geoff stepped back and looked at her, concern in his eyes. "Bridgette, are you okay?"

She nodded and touched the part of her abdomen where the three partially healed stab wounds were located, wrapped in bandaging. "It's okay, there's still just a bit of pain and you pressed against the wounds." she said.

Geoff's expression was unreadable and it took him a moment to collect himself. "Bridgette if you don't feel like doing this you don't have to." he said.

"No, I already have the dress." she said. "I'm going to prom with you no matter what. I'm not going to let a little pain stop me from enjoying the end of my senior year."

Geoff nodded and, after paying for her dress, they left the store, the girls following them out. Bridgette smiled, glad Geoff hadn't pressed the issue. She was going to prom, the things that had happened to her be damned.

* * *

Two days later Bridgette found herself standing outside the school gym, dressed in her pale blue dress, Geoff holding her hand, waiting for the doors to open. On her left stood Gwen who was dressed in a short black dress with black fishnet stockings and a miniature top hat perched on her head. Beside her stood Trent, who was wearing a standard tuxedo, with a green bow tie. Next to them stood Nikki, who was wearing a long flowing purple dress and Jonesy, whom she had finally decided to acknowledge again. On Geoff's right stood Izzy, dressed in a beautiful light green dress, her curly red hair cascading down her back and accented with green ribbons. Owen stood beside her, holding her hand and on his right were Jude, in a blue tux and Starr, who was wearing a white dress. Behind them were Wyatt and Marlowe, D.J. and LeShawna, who wore a gold dress, Beth and Harold, Heather and Alejandro, Justin and Tricia, Lindsey and Tyler, Darth and Julie, and Caitlin, the Clones, Noah, Jen, Courtney, and Eva who had all come alone. Katie and Sadie, wearing matching pink dresses stood slightly apart from the others, as though they weren't sure if they belonged.

Bridgette noticed that Cody and Sierra, and Zeke were there as well, despite the fact that they were juniors. Apparently they had been invited by someone else, as this was the senior prom and they would not otherwise have been able to come. Bridgette also noticed that Duncan was absent from the crowd, though she had a feeling he would show up eventually.

At that moment, the doors opened and the crowd surged forward, eager to get inside. They were stopped by a pair of teachers who were there to collect tickets, and one by one each couple was let in. After waiting a moment to let a few other couples in first, Bridgette and Geoff entered to find the gym awash in the glow of hundreds of twinkling colored lights. The gym had been transformed, with a large stage dominating one side and tables laden with snacks dominating the other. In between was the dance floor which was already filling up. At the back of the room a large archway stood, beckoning students to the extra room where the pictures would be taken. Bridgette was impressed by the decorations, despite the fact that there was no discernible theme to the event. Bridgette presumed that had something to do with the decorating committee's inability to come to a consensus on the theme. She didn't really care though, she was just glad to be there.

It was then that she noticed the band flailing around on the stage. It was the Gangbusters and Bridgette felt her pulse quicken at the now familiar sound of their music. She pulled Geoff towards the dance floor and they began moving in time to the infectious beat of the music. Geoff pulled her closer and they kissed, his arms wrapping around her waist. She locked her hands around his neck and let everything else fade into the background. It felt so good to be with him again and in that moment it felt like none of the horrible things that had happened in the previous couple of months had ever taken place. There was only the now and that was all Bridgette cared about.

"I love you Bridgette." Geoff whispered, his breath tickling her ear.

"I love you too Geoff." she said. "I always have and I always will. No matter what happens after tonight I will always be there for you."

He smiled and kissed her again, pulling her even closer as the Gangbusters switched to a slower song. For the next few minutes all Bridgette was aware of was Geoff's steady breathing and the movement of their feet across the dance floor. And then, as the song ended she spotted Duncan watching them from across the room. Geoff noticed Duncan as well and after a moments hesitation he looked at Bridgette and said, "Go to him Bridge. He loves you too and I have to accept that. Go, dance with him for a few."

She looked at him, trying to read his expression, but his emotions were hidden. "Are-are you sure you're okay with it?" she asked, staring into his eyes.

"Yes." Geoff said. "I want you to be happy, and he makes you happy too. So go, dance with him, I have no right to tell you not to."

Bridgette nodded and moved across the dance floor to Duncan's position. He was dressed in a tux, just like all the boys were, but his seemed to be a bit more worn than the others in the room. He smiled as Bridgette approached, pulling her close once she was within his reach. "Nice to see Geoff's sharing tonight." he said, his voice thick with sarcasm.

"Yeah, well he just wants me to be happy." Bridgette said. "Nice tux by the way."

"It was my grandfather's." Duncan said, with a somber grin. "Like so many other things it was passed to me when he died and well, I've always kinda liked it."

Bridgette smiled, remembering how Duncan had told her his grandfather was the one person in his life who had always been there for him. She had thought she could be another, but that had gotten fucked up, thanks to her. She felt tears running down her cheeks and then felt the touch of Duncan's fingers as he moved to wipe the tears away.

"Hey, why're you crying?" he asked, concern in his voice. "Don't you know prom is supposed to be about love and happiness?"

"Duncan, I'm sorry." Bridgette whispered. "I'm sorry for everything that happened between us. I never intended for things to go that way."

"Hey, don't worry about it." he said, smiling. "It's in the past. Just like Geoff, all I want is for you to be happy and if that means I can't have you, so be it. You changed my life Bridgette and I will always be grateful for that, but I realized what we had couldn't last. So let's forget about it and just enjoy tonight, okay?"

Bridgette nodded, the lump in her throat preventing her from speaking. They danced together for the next song and then the music stopped. Bridgette and Duncan turned towards the stage to see Courtney standing at the microphone holding a sealed envelope.

"Okay, so it's time to crown the king and queen." Courtney said, a smile on her face. "And this years winners are Heather Chen and Alejandro Burromuerto."

There were groans from the crowd as Heather and Alejandro made their way to the stage. Both of them looked immensely satisfied, but as Heather took the crown from Courtney her expression changed. She stepped up to the microphone and spoke the words no one in the room ever thought they would hear. "Thank you for this, truly." she said. "But I'm afraid Alejandro and I can't accept these crowns. No, these crowns belong to someone else. This crown in particular belongs to someone else. This crown belongs to someone who only a few days ago was faced with death and experienced an attack so horrible I can't even begin to imagine what it was like for her. This crown belongs to Bridgette Wells, she's your true queen."

The entire room was silent and then Courtney spoke. "Bridgette could you come up here please and bring Geoff with you?"

After a moment's hesitation Bridgette and Geoff made their way to the stage where Heather and Alejandro handed over their crowns. "You deserve this Bridgette." Heather said, her voice choked with emotion. "You persevered even when we had all turned our backs on you. You made it through horrors I can't even begin to imagine and you've come out stronger on the other side. You've shown us all what true strength and true friendship are. No one is more deserving of being called a queen than you. Thank you for helping us all see what's truly important."

Bridgette smiled and accepted the crown. "Thank you." she said. "All of you. Thank you for welcoming me into this school and making me feel like I belong. I couldn't have been that strong if weren't for all of you." The crowd applauded and Scott stepped up to the microphone.

"Ladies and gentlemen." he shouted. "May I present your 2011 senior prom king and queen, Bridgette Wells and my brother Geoff Martin!" The crowd applauded again and the Gangbusters launched into the second half of their set.

Bridgette embraced Geoff and the two of them danced there dance on the stage, amongst the band members. And as the night climaxed Bridgette realized she had never felt more alive, drinking in the love of her classmates like it was water. She would savor the memory of this night forever, a memory that would keep her going in the weeks to come.

**A/N: So yeah, that was prom. I know, it was kinda cheesy, but I'm not that great at writing romantic stuff. Anyway, I realize that I haven't been exactly clear about what grade everyone is in, so to clarify everyone is in their senior year except Cody, Sierra, Zeke, Kristen and Kirsten, who are all juniors. Also, I haven't made the flow of time all that clear, which is something else I'm not great at, so sorry for that. What's important is we're only a few weeks away from the end of the school year. And finally, in case you're curious about the rest of the dresses, Marlowe's was red, Beth's was white, Heather's was chocolate brown, Lindsey's was yellow, Caitlin's was light pink, Tricia's was black and white striped, Julie's was also white, Eva's was navy blue, Courtney's was grey, Jen's was pale purple, and Sierra's was magenta. The guys tuxs all matched in some way. **


	28. The Kings' Honor

The buzzing of her phone drew Bridgette from slumber, shattering the image in her mind of her and Geoff being crowned king and queen of prom. She glanced around the room, her vision still blurry from having just woken up. As her vision cleared she began to realize there was something off about the room, though she couldn't quite figure out what. It was then that she became aware that she was not alone. She glanced to her right and her eyes widened in surprise. Laying in the bed next to her was Geoff, who was clearly still asleep.

It was then that everything came flooding back into her memory. She had been at prom with Geoff and their friends, she and Geoff had been crowned king and queen and then, at some point they had left and returned to Geoff's house. Bridgette felt a twinge of pain shoot through her head as these memories replayed in her mind. She wondered if they had done anything besides sleep, not that she cared if they had, it was just that she wasn't fully healed from her attack and she was pretty sure sex qualified as the sort of overexertion Doctor Lunderman had advised her to avoid. She glanced down at herself and saw that she was still wearing her bra and panties which calmed her. If she was still at least partially clothed then she and Geoff had most likely not had sex, though that wasn't necessarily a good thing. But if they hadn't had sex, why was she in his bed? True they were officially dating again, but they had not discussed having sex or sleeping together for that matter. As usual, Bridgette found she was unable to come up with any satisfactory answers and she supposed it didn't matter. It was then that her phone buzzed again, drawing Bridgette's attention back to the reason she had awoken.

Bridgette reached for her phone, being careful not to move the bed too much to avoid disturbing Geoff. She glanced at the screen of her phone, noticing that she had several missed calls as well as several texts. She checked the texts first, noticing that the oldest ones were from Nikki and Gwen asking about her night with Geoff. Bridgette ignored these and moved on to the more recent texts, which were from her mother, asking her to come home as soon as possible. The tone of her mother's texts made Bridgette's insides freeze, and as she checked her voicemail her feeling of unease only increased. Two of her missed calls were from her father, who hadn't left any messages, but two of the others were from her mother who's voice messages also asked Bridgette to come home. And then there was the message from Chef, which asked Bridgette to meet him, Coach and Ron to discuss their deal regarding Mr. McLean. It was this message that made her growing panic spike. What did Chef mean they needed to discuss their deal? Did that mean the Kings weren't going to help her after all? Or had they found something that would allow for a case to be brought against Chris? Either way she was determined to find out.

She slid off the bed, her bare feet touching the soft fabric of her prom dress which was laying on the floor beside the bed. _Shit,_ she thought, _we came here right after the dance and I don't have any other clothes. How am I supposed to get home if I can't go out in public? Cuz I'm not going out there in nothing but my underwear. _She glanced at Geoff, who was snoring now, and decided her only option was to wake him and ask if he had any clothes she could borrow. She sat back down on the bed and slid over to Geoff, placing a hand on his shoulder as she did.

She gave his shoulder a gentle shake and muttered, "Geoff, get up."

Geoff didn't move and continued snoring, completely oblivious to the fact that she was in his room. Bridgette sighed and shook him harder. "Come on Geoff, get the fuck up." she said, almost shouting.

Geoff grunted and rolled over, his eyes opening. "Hey Bridge, what's up?" he asked, stifling a yawn.

"Um, could I...I need to borrow some clothes." she said, her gaze penetrating his bright blue eyes.

Geoff sat up, suddenly alert, and looked at her in concern. "Bridgette is everything alright?" he asked, his voice as concerned as his gaze.

"I gotta get home." Bridgette answered. "I think something has happened, something involving the Kings and I need to know what it is."

"The Kings?" Geoff asked, puzzled. "What would they want from you?"

"I...well I may have told them I already know the identity of my attacker and they agreed to help me confirm my theory." Bridgette answered, reluctant to tell Geoff everything.

"Who do you think your attacker is?" Geoff asked, though he looked like he could already guess.

"Mr. McLean." Bridgette answered. "And don't act all surprised, Nikki told me you already know. Now come on, I need some damn clothes."

Geoff didn't immediately respond. He seemed too shocked by the revelation that his girlfriend had been raped by one of their teachers to do anything other than sit there with a dumbfounded look on his face.

"Geoff?" Bridgette asked. "Geoff are you even listening to me?"

He turned to face her, tears rolling down his cheeks. "Oh my God Bridgette, you were raped by McLean. How is that even possible? I mean I knew he was a perv but I had no idea he was so fucked up in the head."

"Geoff, it's not your fault." Bridgette said. "No one knew he was so sick, there was nothing you could have done. Now come on, I need clothes."

"What happened to yours?" Geoff asked, wiping his tears away.

"We came here directly after we left prom, all I have is my dress." Bridgette answered.

Geoff nodded and got out of bed. He walked over to his closet and dug out a pair of sweats and a slightly oversized shirt. He handed them to Bridgette who smiled and pulled the clothes on. The shirt was huge on her and the sweats were a little too large as well, but it was better than having to head home in her underwear. She headed for the door, but Geoff caught her by the wrist.

"Wait Bridge, let me get dressed too." he said, their eyes meeting for a half second.

"Geoff you don't have to come." Bridgette said, her voice slightly pleading, as though she was trying to spare him the pain of hearing what the Kings would potentially be telling her.

"No, I want to be there for you." Geoff said, his tone calm. "I promised to stay with you no matter what and I intend to keep that promise."

Bridgette nodded and Geoff got dressed. They then headed over to Bridgette's house where they found her parents and the Kings waiting for them. The looks on their faces were serious, but Bridgette could tell that the Kings weren't here to deliver bad news.

"Okay, I got your messages." she said, as she and Geoff ascended the steps. "Sorry I didn't respond immediately, I was kinda sleeping."

Bridgette saw her father's jaw twitch and moved to smooth things over. "Okay, I know I should have called and told you guys I was at Geoff's, especially considering everything that's happened, but I was caught up in the moment and I forgot."

"I think your father is more upset by the fact that you didn't tell him that you had us investigating Mr. McLean than he is by the fact that you didn't tell him you were spending the night with Mr. Martin, Miss Wells." Ron said, with an amused smile.

"Actually it's a bit of both." Mr. Wells said, with a stern look at his daughter. "But I suppose it doesn't matter now, given the information the Kings just gave your mother and I."

Bridgette's eyes widened in surprise. "Wait, you have information?" she asked, glancing at the Kings. "What kind of information?"

"Why don't we head inside and we'll tell you there?" Chef suggested.

Bridgette nodded and moved towards the door. Her father opened it for her and she entered her house, followed by her mother, Geoff, the Kings, and finally her father. Bridgette headed for her room to change, reemerging a few minutes later dressed in a pair of jeans, a shirt and her favorite light blue hoodie. She handed Geoff's clothes back to him with a thankful smile and sat down on the couch between him and her mother. Her father was seated in his recliner and the Kings were standing in front of the TV, all three of them looking very serious, as usual.

"Okay, so what kind of information do you have for me?" Bridgette asked, staring at the Kings, both her tone and her gaze expectant.

"We caught him Miss Wells." Coach answered, glancing at her parents as he spoke. "We caught McLean. He is currently in custody at the county jail, though I do not know when, or if, there will be a trial."

"Wait, you caught him?" Bridgette asked. "So that means the DNA they gathered from my...you know...was a match?"

"Indeed it does." Ron answered. "That alone should be enough for a trial, but there's more."

"How can there be more?" Geoff asked, with a puzzled glance at Bridgette.

"It seems Miss Wells is not the only underage girl with whom Chris McLean is obsessed, nor is she the first." Ron answered. "We raided his home and found more than enough evidence to convict him of sex crimes. In his closet we discovered a shoe box full of photos, nude photos, of more than two dozen girls, some of whom have been out of high school for more than six years now."

"So, this has been going on for a while then?" Bridgette's mother asked, horrified.

"Yes." Chef answered. "It seems McLean has been spying on girls for quite some time now. But it goes beyond simply spying on girls. It seems he has a habit of seducing or coercing girls into either having sex with him or performing sexual acts for him. We found video footage on his computer that confirms this, video of him having sex with high school girls. There were also more photos on his computer as well as a file of emails sent to various girls asking them for sex or insinuating that sex should be performed."

Everyone in the room sat in horrified silence as Chef finished speaking. It was all too much to process, especially for Bridgette and Geoff who had trusted McLean. He had been an awesome teacher, a teacher who was beloved by his students, and to learn that the entire time he had been a sick, twisted, perverted pedophile who preyed on teenage girls was more than they could handle.

"How did he keep it all a secret though?" Geoff asked, after a moment.

"I would assume that it was fear, mostly, that kept this in the dark for so long." Coach said. "Fear on the part of the girls he stalked, coerced, molested, and now raped, that they would be harmed if they told anyone. Though I assume they told someone as it is my understanding that there has been a general consensus amongst students that McLean is a pervert for a number of years now."

Bridgette and Geoff shot guilty glances at one another and then Geoff asked, "What did you mean when you said 'and now raped'?"

"Bridgette seems to be the first victim of rape on McLean's part." Ron answered. "It seems, from what we have gathered, that the other girls he had sex with did so willingly, though I would assume that their willingness was limited at best and that they often only agreed to his requests because he threatened them in some way. Several of the emails we found seem to support this theory, as McLean often mentions his intention to reveal secrets about his victims if they do not engage in sex with him."

At that moment Chef's phone rang and he stepped out of the room to take the call. The others sat in silence, all of them still trying to process all of the information the Kings had given them. It seemed that even the Kings had not yet fully wrapped their minds around how deep and disturbing McLean's depravity was. A few minutes later Chef reentered the room, a grim smile on his face.

"That was the judge." he said. "It seems the court has decided there is enough evidence for a trial, so we should all be prepared. Because of the nature of the crimes the court wants this trial to happen as soon as possible, but I don't know exactly when yet. I would imagine it will be sometime in the next week or two however."

Bridgette felt her chest constrict at these words. She had known there would be a trial and she wanted one, McLean had to pay for his crimes. But she was unsure if she could face him now, so soon after the attack. But even as these fears began to creep into her mind she pushed them away. She had to be strong and she would be. No matter how hard it was she would face McLean again if it meant he was put away for life.

"Bridgette, are you okay?" Geoff asked, glancing at her. He seemed to have picked up on her uncertainty and moved now to comfort her.

"I'm fine." she answered, not looking at him. He looked as though there was something else he wanted to ask her, but he remained silent. Bridgette looked at the Kings, hesitating for a moment, and then asked her final question, "Can you tell us who McLean's other victims are?"

"Under normal circumstances no." said Chef. "But since the trial will be held sooner than expected and because you'll probably figure it out anyway, I suppose we can tell you. Many of them you already know, Heather Chen, Nikki Wong, Gwen Carver, Izzy Sharpe, Lindsey Peterson, Caitlin Cooke, Jen Masterson, Courtney Smith, Tricia Helman, Marlowe Welling, Starr Sullivan, Sierra Vasquez, and a number of others. Alyssa Channing is another name you might recognize. All of them have been victims of McLean's to some extent or another."

Bridgette was horrified. Nearly half the list of McLean's victims were people she knew. She had had no idea her friends had all been targeted by McLean at some point. Why hadn't any of them told her anything about this? She supposed it had been to protect her, since she was the new kid, but she wished someone would have told her about all of this sooner. Still, she couldn't be angry with them now, not when they all needed to stick together.

"Is there anything else you'd like to know, Miss Wells?" Ron asked.

"No, I think I'm good, thanks." she answered.

"In that case we'll be on our way then." said Chef. "We'll call when a trial date has been set." He smiled and exited the room, Coach and Ron following him. Bridgette nodded at them to show her thanks and then turned to her parents and Geoff.

The looks on their faces were a mixture of concern, relief, and several other emotions Bridgette could not decipher. She smiled at them to let them know that she was alright, even though that was far from the truth. She was actually terrified and uncertain that the trial would lead to a conviction, despite all the evidence. Still, she had to admit that it felt good to know that for now McLean was behind bars and unable to hurt anyone else. The Kings had honored their promise and she would be forever grateful to them for that, even if Chris somehow escaped conviction. And despite her fear she knew that when the time came she would be able to face him because she would have all of the people she cared about there to watch her back.

**A/N: Well, there you go. Now Bridgette can get some fucking justice for the horrible things that have happened to her. Prepare yourselves folks, next chapter will resolve everything (mostly).**


	29. The Trial

"We've got your back on this Bridgette, you can be assured of that." Nikki said, with as much conviction as she could muster, given the circumstances.

Bridgette smiled and nodded, but said nothing. She knew Nikki's words were true, that she could rely on her friends to back her up, but some part of her didn't want them to have to be there. Some part of her wanted to face this challenge alone, though she could not explain why.

Barely twenty four hours had passed since Bridgette and her parents had met with the Kings and learned the full truth about Mr. McLean. In that time Bridgette had met with her friends and their families to discuss the impending trial. Nearly everyone she had spoken with had expressed shock when she first told them what was going on, though her classmates seemed less shocked than their parents. It seemed none of the girls had mentioned anything about McLean's activities with them to anyone, except each other. Some of the reactions Bridgette had gotten from people had surprised her more than others. Heather's reaction, in particular, was quite surprising, especially the horror Heather had expressed upon learning that Nikki had been a victim too. However, Heather's reaction didn't come close to matching the reactions from Owen, Trent, Jude, Wyatt, Jonesy, and all the other boyfriends, many of whom swore to kick McLean's ass, an idea the girls quickly shot down. And then their were the parents, whose reactions were the most difficult to watch. As more and more people were told of McLean's actions Bridgette had begun to realize that there were few things in the world more horrifying for a parent than to learn your teenage daughter is a victim of sex abuse.

Many of the parents gathered at Bridgette's house seemed unsure how to proceed. Some, like the Wongs and the Carvers had already pledged their support in the upcoming trial, wishing to see the man who had harassed their daughters get the justice he deserved. Other parents however, weren't so certain and seemed to want to shelter their daughters from the stress of a trial. But for once the decision seemed to be out of the parents hands and all the adults gathered in the room seemed to know it. Their daughters had to be a part of this trial, or there would be no trial.

Bridgette glanced at Nikki and then at each of the other people in the room, her gaze finally coming to rest on Geoff. "Thank you." she said. "All of you. I know a trial is not something any of us want to be a part of, but things were done to me and to all of you that cannot be ignored. If we all stand together I know we can make Chris McLean pay for the crimes he has committed against us and we can make sure that no one else suffers as we have."

"Well said Bridgette." said Gwen, with a smile. "And like Nikki said, we all have your back. And we will do whatever it takes to make sure McLean pays."

Bridgette nodded and smiled. "Again, thank you. But remember that I'm not the only one and I have your backs as well."

"Understood." said Heather. "Now all we need is a date for the trial."

"And you shall have that date now." said Chef, as he, Ron, and Coach entered the room. "We just got confirmation that the trial is set to begin in one week. I want to assure all of you that for that time McLean will be kept behind bars and your families will be kept safe. I have also brought with me someone who is very interested in this case, someone who will help you all win."

With that, Chef stood aside to allow a tall, brown skinned woman, with long dark hair and glasses, to enter. "Hello." she said, smiling around the room. "My name is Monica Gomez and I will be representing you in your case against Christopher McLean."

Bridgette glanced at the Kings, who all wore looks of confidence, and saw Chef mouth "she's the best lawyer in the city." Bridgette smiled and nodded, turning her attention back to Monica who had begun detailing her plan for approaching the case. As Bridgette listened, she felt a wave of confidence rise within herself, confidence that everything would work out in the end.

* * *

By the middle of the week however Bridgette's confidence had begun to waver. The day after learning when the trial would start, Bridgette and her friends had learned who McLean's defense attorney would be. McLean was being represented by a man named Jack Drummond, who had a reputation for getting people off. He had also faced off against Monica more than once and their relationship was far from friendly. And, as if this news wasn't bad enough, later that same day Bridgette and her fellow accusers learned that the judge they thought they were going to have presiding over the case was going on vacation. This was bad news because the judge assigned to replace him took a much less severe stance on sex crimes and also happened to be McLean's former college roommate. With this knowledge, Bridgette found it hard to sleep at night or concentrate when she was awake. It seemed like the deck was staked against her and her friends, and she found herself once again on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Fortunately for Bridgette she had begun seeing a therapist to help her deal with the emotional and psychological wounds from her attack and as the trial approached Bridgette began to lean on him more and more.

Two days before the trial Bridgette found herself once again sitting in the office of Doctor Winston James, her therapist. She had seen him three times already in the past week and she had found she liked him. Doctor James had a way of making Bridgette feel calm, even when everything around her was chaos. He had already begun to help her heal from the psychological wounds left by McLean's attack and he was more than willing to help calm her nerves before the trial.

"So, Bridgette, what can I do for you today?" Doctor James asked, with a warm smile.

"I, uh...well, I'm freaking out about the trial." Bridgette answered, staring into his light brown eyes which seemed to radiate calm. "It turns out that the judge we thought we were gonna get is going on vacation and the dick they got to replace him is friends with McLean."

"Yes, the Kings have told me about that." Doctor James said, his voice level. "Tell me, why does this bother you?"

"It bothers me because I'm afraid we won't win the trial, that the judge will take McLean's side." Bridgette muttered.

"I can assure you Bridgette that won't happen." said Doctor James. "It is true that Judge Roberts was once Chris McLean's roommate, but that does not mean he will take McLean's side. He is a man of the law and he will follow the law accordingly."

Bridgette nodded, but remained silent. She knew Doctor James was right, but there was still a part of her that was convinced Judge Roberts would take the side of his old friend. She did not mention this, of course, as she did not want Doctor James to think she was incapable of participating in the trial.

Doctor James seemed to sense she was keeping something from him though as he asked, "Is there anything else you'd like to talk about Bridgette?"

Bridgette shook her head and Doctor James nodded. "Very well, you may go." he said, with another smile. Bridgette nodded again and left the office, thanking Doctor James for his help.

* * *

Two days later Bridgette found herself sitting in the waiting room of the courthouse, waiting for the trial to begin. She was joined by her parents, Geoff, Duncan, the Kings, and the other girls who had brought accusations against McLean. Monica was there as well, her expression one of confidence, though it seemed to Bridgette that it was confidence tainted by uncertainty. Bridgette was barely containing her own uncertainties and she could tell she wasn't the only one. It seemed everyone in the room was full of nervous anticipation, as though they were all expecting something to go horribly wrong. Bridgette glanced around the room, trying to find some glimmer of hope in the eyes of her friends, but no one met her gaze, until Geoff looked at her and smiled. She returned the gesture, though she could see there was uncertainty behind his hope. She wanted to tell him that it would all be okay, that everything would work out in the end but she couldn't find the right words. She reached out and took Geoff's hand just as the door opened and a man entered.

"It's time." the man said, glancing around the room. Monica nodded and exited, Bridgette and the others following her. Monica lead them into the courtroom and they took their seats, Bridgette and the other girls at the front of the room with Monica and everyone else in the gallery. Bridgette glanced around the room, noticing that the jury was already seated in their section.

Moments later the doors opened again and Mr. McLean entered, flanked by two guards and his lawyer, Jack Drummond. McLean grinned at Bridgette as he took his seat, making her stomach roll. She looked away from him, her eyes meeting Nikki's which were blazing. "Yeah, you just keep smiling you demented prick." Nikki muttered, glancing at McLean. "We'll see how much you're smiling when this is over."

Bridgette smiled and glanced over at McLean as well. He was no longer looking at her, but she had a feeling he had been trying to listen to what Nikki had said. She wouldn't get another chance to study McLean's demeanor however as a voice spoke, drawing her attention to the front of the room.

"All rise for the honorable Judge Roberts." It was the man who had gotten Bridgette and her friends from their waiting room. Bridgette's gaze traveled past the man to the judge's podium where a man dressed in black robes now sat. He was a young man, no older than thirty, and Bridgette was surprised. She had expected someone older, though she had no idea why.

Judge Roberts glanced around the room and smiled. "Be seated." he said, in a soft yet powerful voice which carried in the silent courtroom. For a moment, no one moved and then Judge Roberts spoke again. "Alright, so, we're here today to hear the case against one Christopher McLean for crimes of a sexual nature committed against minors, is that correct?"

"That is correct your honor." Monica said, rising from her seat as she spoke.

"Very well." Judge Roberts said. "We will begin with opening statements. Miss Gomez, if you please?"

Monica nodded and stepped forward. "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, my name is Monica Gomez and it is my intention to prove to you beyond a reasonable doubt that Christopher McLean willingly and maliciously targeted underage girls with the intention of deriving sexual favors from them and that he did so by way of threats, bribes, and force. Also, we are here to determine whether or not he is guilty of the rape and attempted murder of Bridgette Wells. It is my belief that the evidence points to Mr. McLean's guilt in these matters, but I shall leave that decision up to you."

"Thank you for your statement Miss Gomez." Judge Roberts said, with a nod. "Mr. Drummond, if you would?"

Jack nodded and moved forward. "A very powerful and compelling opening statement, Miss Gomez." he said, with a grin. "But words are only good if there is evidence to back them up. It is my intention to prove that Christopher McLean has been falsely accused of these actions and that his accusers are merely trying to gain a bit more attention for themselves by bringing forth such tales. I am confident the evidence will lead to the clearing of Mr. McLean's name in the eyes of the law."

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence following Jack's speech, during which Bridgette noticed more than a few people seemed less than pleased with his bold intentions. She was more surprised than angered, how could Jack really expect to convince a jury that McLean wasn't guilty by saying that his victims were nothing more than attention starved teenagers? Did he really think that was the reason McLean had raped Bridgette? Bridgette had to admit that the stance McLean's defense was taking was pretty weak and she felt her own confidence rise.

"Very well, Mr. Drummond." Judge Roberts said, breaking the silence. "Though I will remind both of you that it is your job to represent your respective clients, not to make predictions about the outcome of this trial. I will not tolerate such hijinks in my courtroom and I trust I will not have to remind either of you again."

Jack and Monica both nodded and Judge Roberts motioned for them to sit. "Alright, shall we continue? Miss Gomez, please call your first witness to the stand."

Monica nodded and stood, glancing at Nikki as she did. Nikki nodded and stood as well, moving towards the stand. "I present Nicole Anne Wong to the court." Monica said, with a quick glance at Judge Roberts.

"Very well, you may begin questioning the witness." Judge Roberts said, with a nod.

Monica glanced at Nikki and smiled. "Miss Wong, could you please describe for the court how you know the defendant." she said.

Nikki nodded and spoke, "Mr. McLean is the Advanced English teacher at Hayward High School and a member of the school's literature club, to which I also belong."

"And have you ever witnessed him acting inappropriately towards students, specifically girls?" Monica asked.

Nikki hesitated, and then answered. "Yes, I have." she said. "I have witnessed him asking other girls to meet him in private and I've seen him watching girls with a look of longing, like he wanted to make out with them."

"And has Mr. McLean ever approached you in such a manner?" Monica asked.

"Yes, when I was freshman he approached me after school one day and asked me if I wanted to do things I can only assume were meant to be of a sexual nature." Nikki answered. "He wasn't overt about it and when I told him no he kind of backed off, but I over heard him talking to other girls and he was more forward with them."

"That is all the questions I have." Monica said, turning towards Jack.

"Very well, Mr. Drummond you may ask your questions." Judge Roberts said.

Jack grinned and approached the stand. "So, Miss Wong, you say you witnessed my client acting inappropriately towards your fellow students, so what I want to know is, why didn't you report any of this to the authorities?"

"I didn't know anything more was happening, that's why." Nikki answered.

"So, you're telling me that you witnessed my client acting inappropriately but you didn't know that he was having sex with them? That seems a bit contradictory to me. I mean, how could you not know what was going on if you were supposedly one of my clients victims?"

"Objection." Monica said, rising quickly to her feet.

"On what grounds Miss Gomez?" Judge Roberts asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Mr. Drummond's line of questioning is turning into blatant coercion." Monica said. "He's trying to influence how she answers his questions."

"I am doing no such thing." Jack protested, with an innocent smile. "I am simply trying to obtain the truth."

Judge Roberts sighed. "Miss Gomez, your objection is overruled." he said. "I see no evidence that Mr. Drummond is trying to sway your witness." Monica opened her mouth to protest but Judge Roberts gave her a stern look, silencing her. "Mr. Drummond, you may continue."

Jack smiled and turned back to Nikki. "So, how could you not know what was going on if you were indeed one of my clients victims?" he asked again.

"I didn't know because it's not like he was having sex with anyone at the school." Nikki answered. "But, we are teenagers, we do talk about stuff like this, so the whole school knew, even if we weren't there to see it happen."

"And you didn't consider that these stories could be nothing more than that, just stories made up by your classmates to make one another jealous?" Jack asked.

"I did, in fact, consider that." Nikki answered. "But as I said, Mr. McLean approached me when I was a freshman and I've always thought there was something off about him since."

"But you said he backed off after you told him no." Jack said. "Was that statement no true?" He smiled again, his eyes boring into hers.

"No, he did back off, but I could tell he still wanted me." Nikki said. "And he didn't stay backed off either. He dropped more hints that he wanted to do something with me, but I wasn't gonna play his game. But that doesn't mean he didn't go after other girls."

Jack smiled again and nodded, apparently done with his questioning. Nikki returned to her seat and Monica stepped forward again, calling her next witness.

For the next several hours Monica and Jack took turns questioning each of the girls who had filed suit against McLean. Each of them told a similar story, though there were differences. Heather went into great detail when she described how McLean had used bribes and threats to get sex from her, admitting to the entire court that she had, in fact, had sex with him twice. By the end of the day everyone had been questioned except Bridgette, who was somewhat relieved she hadn't had to take the stand yet.

* * *

The following day, Monica called the Kings to the witness stand, asking them to describe their findings from McLean's home. Each of the Kings took a turn on the stand, presenting the evidence that Bridgette hopped would blow the case open.

"And you say there are more of these pictures on his computer?" Monica asked, looking at Chef, who was currently on the stand.

"That is correct." Chef answered, as McLean's laptop was brought up to the evidence table where it was placed alongside the box of photos the Kings had found in McLean's closet. "The computer contains video and records of emails sent to many of his victims as well." Chef continued. "Many of the videos are quite graphic and on at least five you can both see and hear the girls protesting either the fact that they're being taped or the sex itself."

"And who's to say these videos aren't fake?" Jack asked, from his seat.

"Mr. Drummond, please hold your tongue." Judge Roberts snapped.

"What, it's an honest and valid question." Jack said. "Why should I have to wait to ask it?"

Judge Roberts moved to restore order, but Chef beat him to the punch. "We had the video analyzed and it has been proven to be authentic." he said, with a grin that drew a glare from Jack. "The emails are also authentic and were all signed by Mr. McLean."

"Thank you for testimony." Monica said. "I have no further questions."

"Mr. Drummond?" Judge Roberts asked, looking at Jack. Jack didn't move and Judge Roberts motioned for the trial to proceed.

Doctor James took the stand next to testify that he had spoken with the victims of McLean's actions and that all of the girls had shown signs of stress or distress associated with being targeted by a pedophile.

When Doctor James had finished, Monica stood again and called Bridgette to the stand. "I now call Bridgette Samantha Wells to the stand to provide the account of her interaction with the defendant."

Bridgette took a deep breath and made her way to the stand, feeling the gaze of every person in the courtroom on her. She sat behind the podium, forcing the bile rising in her throat back down, and stared directly at McLean as Monica began speaking.

"Miss Wells, if could please tell the court what happened to you on the night of May tenth as well as the nature of your relationship with the defendant." said Monica.

Bridgette hesitated and then spoke. "I met Mr. McLean at the beginning of the school year." she said. "I had just moved here from Point Stevens and his class was the first one on my schedule. At first he seemed nice enough and I had no reason to suspect that he was interested in me for the purposes of having sex. But as time went on I began to suspect that something wasn't right about him. I first had these suspicions after I met with him at lunch one day. He was very forward with me, though he seemed like he was in a trance or something. He seemed apologetic afterwards, but I could sense it wasn't over. He would approach me some weeks later and asked again, and again I said no."

She paused, feeling her pulse pounding in her ears. It was such a relief to get all of this out in the open and she felt as though she was in a dream, watching her testimony unfold from afar. She took a breath and continued. "As far as May tenth is concerned, I had been at a party and was on my way home when I was attacked by a man wearing a black ski mask. He forced me to the ground, ripped off my jeans and then he was in me. It was horrible, the most sickening pain I have ever felt and I remember thinking how badly I wanted to die if only to get away from the pain. And then he stabbed me, three times and left me for dead. I managed to make it to my feet and stagger to my friend Duncan's house. He called 9-1-1 and got me to the hospital."

She fell silent and Monica stepped forward again. "Thank you Miss Wells, that was powerful testimony." she said.

Jack then stepped forward, without waiting for Judge Roberts to invite him to do so. "Yes, that was quite moving indeed but let me ask you this, if your attacker was wearing a mask, how can you be sure it was my client?"

"He spoke to me and I recognized his voice." Bridgette answered.

"Also, DNA evidence was recovered from her vagaina, DNA which matches your client." said Monica.

"I was told that evidence was lost, so what use is it to this case?" Jack said, his cool, smug demeanor beginning to falter.

"Ah, yes, well it wasn't." said Monica, with a grin. "I call Doctor Theresa Lunderman to the stand." She smiled again as Doctor Lunderman entered and made her way up to the stand.

"Doctor Lunderman, would you please present your findings to the court?" Monica asked.

"Certainly." Doctor Lunderman answered. "We obtained a sample of DNA from the vaginal wall of Miss Wells and though the sample was somewhat degraded we were able to definitively determine who the sample belonged to."

"And who, the court would like to know, did that sample belong to?" Monica asked.

"Christopher McLean." Doctor Lunderman answered.

"That sample could have been faked, you could have used blood drawn from my client at some other time to support that story." Jack said.

"I assure you, this sample is not a fake." Doctor Lunderman said. "Nor was it obtained illegally from your client. It was recovered from Miss Wells when she was first admitted to the hospital and it conclusively proves that he raped her. Also, the blood on the knife found near the scene matches Miss Wells' and that knife contained fingerprints matching Mr. McLean's."

"It's lies, it has to be lies." Jack said, his voice becoming hysterical.

"Science does not lie, Mr. Drummond." said Doctor Lunderman. "Neither does DNA. Chris McLean is guilty of the rape and attempted murder of Bridgette Wells. I cannot offer insights into the validity of the other accusations against Mr. McLean, but I can say that I agree with the assessment of Doctor James, these girls have been stalked, threatened and abused by someone."

"Thank you Doctor Lunderman." said Judge Roberts. "If there is nothing else I will dismiss the jury so they may deliberate."

Jack moved like he was about to say something else, but he remained silent. "Very well." Judge Roberts said, turning towards the jury. "You may go."

The members of the jury rose and left the room. Bridgette and Doctor Lunderman returned to their seats and Monica moved to speak with Judge Roberts. For the next five hours they all sat and waited, Bridgette tense with nervous anticipation. She glanced at McLean, but he was not looking at her. Instead he was looking at the floor, doing his best to ignore everyone else in the room. Bridgette couldn't tell if he was worried or not, but she didn't really care. If he was found guilty, he would get no pity from her, not after all he had done.

Finally the jury returned and Judge Roberts turned to face them. He addressed the jury foreman when he spoke, asking, "Have you come to a verdict?"

"Yes." the foreman replied. "We the jury find the defendant, Christopher McLean guilty on all charges."

"Very well." Judge Roberts said. "This concludes the trial, Mr. McLean may be returned to his cell. Sentencing will be carried out in one week. You are all free to go."

Bridgette felt a wave of relief wash over her and then she felt Geoff's arms wrap around her. He was grinning and so was she. It was over, the trial had lasted barely two days and now it was over. McLean was guilty and was going to prison and Bridgette could not be more happy. She looked around the room, soaking in the happy looks on the faces of her friends, her parents, Monica, the Kings, and everyone else. The trial had been an unpleasant experience and the events that had lead to it had been hell, but Bridgette had weathered the storm and come out stronger on the other side. Now all that was left for her to do was to look forward to the end of high school.

**A/N: Okay, so you can probably tell that I don't know all that much about the criminal justice system. I assume a trial wouldn't have ended that quickly and I probably should have spent more time explaining what McLean is being tried for (fyi, the charges against him include rape, attempted murder, sexual abuse of minors, child pornography, bribery, and coercion). I apologize for not making that clear in the story. Also, I made up the name of the high school and I picked the date on which Bridgette was attacked at random, though I do state in chapter 23 that as of the night of the party the characters have just over a month until graduation so placing the attack on May 10th fits in that time line, assuming graduation takes place in early June (which it does).**


	30. Graduation

Three days later Bridgette found herself sitting on Geoff's couch watching a movie with her friends. She had still not come down from her emotional high and was beginning to wonder if she ever would. It was a strange feeling, she had to admit, being happy that someone else was going to prison, but seeing as how that person was Mr. McLean Bridgette felt compelled to push her negative feelings aside. McLean had gotten what he deserved and if he wasn't happy with the results then he shouldn't have committed the crimes. Still Bridgette couldn't help feeling some small amount of pity for him, despite all that he had done. It was just in her nature to feel for anyone who was in a bad situation, though she had no intention of showing that sympathy to anyone, least of all Mr. McLean. It would undermine the seriousness of the crimes for Bridgette to show McLean sympathy and besides, she had more important things to think about now.

Chief amongst Bridgette's concerns was the looming date of graduation. She had not given graduation much thought until recently as she had been too concerned about being the new kid, making friendships and then trying to keep them to spare a thought to anything else. But Owen's party to end all parties had forced Bridgette to realize that her high school years were almost over. And now that the end was in sight, Bridgette found herself wishing that she had more time to spend with the amazing people she had met since moving. She had no real idea of what any of her friends were planning on doing after graduation, though they had discussed it before. She knew that she planned on attending college and she had already applied to several, but she didn't know what any of the others had planned. Were they also planning on going to college or did her friends have other plans? A sudden wave of panic washed over Bridgette as the thought that she might not see these people again passed through her mind. The thought made her shudder, a move that did not go unnoticed by the others.

"Bridgette, you okay?" Geoff asked, glancing at her in concern.

Bridgette shook her head. "No, not really." she answered, her voice just a whisper.

"Really?" Izzy asked. "You're not okay? And here I was thinking you'd never come back down from the cloud you've been on since the trial ended."

Bridgette smiled in spite of herself and nodded. "Yeah, I am pretty happy about that."

"As you should be." said Nikki. "That bastard raped you and you have every right to be happy that he got convicted, but I sense that's not what you're upset about, right?"

"Right." Bridgette answered, with a glance around the room.

"So, then, what's bugging you bra?" Jude asked.

"Well, it's just...we've only got a couple more weeks until graduation and I don't know what any of you are planning on doing." Bridgette said.

"None of us know what we're doing." said Gwen. "How is this a problem?"

"It's a problem because I want to know what my friends are doing after we part ways." Bridgette said. "Look, this may seem a little over emotional, but I have really enjoyed getting to know all of you. I feel like there's something between us that's truly special and I don't want to lose that. I mean, I came in here at the start of the year and you guys took me in without question and made me feel like I'd always been a part of your social network. And then I went and fucked it all up and things got really dark for awhile, but you guys came back to me anyway. Don't you get it? I wouldn't have been strong enough to make it through all the shit I had to get through without all of you. So please, what are you all doing after graduation?"

For a moment no one spoke and then Nikki broke the silence. "Well, I'm gonna go to college and work on a degree in sociology." she said.

"What colleges have you applied to?" Bridgette asked.

"I applied at a bunch, but I think I'm gonna go to Columbia State University, seeing as how I just got my acceptance letter from them yesterday." Nikki answered.

"Really?" Gwen said, staring at her friend with a look of surprise. "Why didn't you tell me you'd been accepted at CSU?"

"I don't know." Nikki answered. "I guess I was waiting for the right moment. Why does it matter anyway?"

"Cuz I was accepted at CSU last week." said Gwen, with a crooked smile.

"Excellent." said Izzy, before Nikki could respond. "I got an acceptance letter from CSU last week as well. So did Owen."

"Wait, wait, hold on." Bridgette said. "You're telling me you all applied at CSU and none of you told me. What's up with that?"

"Well, it happened when we...well, you know, when we weren't speaking with you." said Gwen, with a guilty smile. "Why does it matter anyway, I figured you'd probably go somewhere more prestigious than CSU."

"CSU is a very prestigious university." said Bridgette. "And while it was not my first choice I think I'll be heading there in the fall as well."

"You've been accepted at CSU too?" Izzy asked, her face lighting up at the prospect.

"Yes, I just got my letter this morning." said Bridgette, with a grin.

"Well, that's just spectacular." said Izzy. "We can be roommates, the four of us." She glanced at Nikki and Gwen before her gaze came to rest on Bridgette.

"Yes, we can." Bridgette agreed. Nikki and Gwen both nodded in agreement as well. "Okay, so we know what you're all doing, now how about the rest of you." Bridgette continued.

"Well, I'm going to college as well, but not at CSU." said Heather.

"I'm staying here to find a job." said Jude. "And I might try and take some classes at the community college as well."

"That's my plan as well." said Starr. "And I think that's what Geoff was planning on doing as well." She looked at Geoff, Bridgette looking at him as well.

"Yes, that was my plan." Geoff said. "Though I may reconsider it."

"Why?" Bridgette asked. "I think that's a great plan."

"Yeah, but if I stick with that how will I spend any time with you?" Geoff asked.

"Geoff, CSU is only about an hour from here." Bridgette answered. "You can come see me on weekends and stuff or I can come back here. You don't have to change your whole plan just to be with me."

Geoff smiled and kissed her. "Yeah, I guess you're right." he said. "So, I'll be staying here, I guess. Until I can think of something better to do."

Bridgette smiled and turned her attention back to the group as the others continued to lay out their plans. It turned out that LeShawna, Marlowe, and Wyatt had been accepted at CSU as well and would also be heading there in the fall. Trent had been accepted at a different college and was headed there in the fall, along with Jen, Courtney, D.J., and Beth. Eva planned on staying in town and working for her father at his gym. Katie and Sadie had been accepted at an all girls college, which Caitlin and Lindsey would be attending as well. Alejandro had been accepted at the same college as Heather, as had Justin and Tyler, who like Alejandro were headed there on football scholarships. Tricia was still not sure what she was going to do, something she had in common with Jonesy and Chrissy. Darth, Harold, and Julie had accepted an invitation to work as interns at a large technology company and Noah had been accepted at Harvard. Finally Cody, Zeke, Sierra, Kristen and Kirsten would be remaining at Hayward High as they still had a year left to complete.

And Duncan, well no one knew what he was going to do and they would not find out that day, as Duncan was not there, though no one knew why or where he was. Bridgette did not even know if her efforts tutoring him had been successful or not. She had not spoken to him much since prom and she had a feeling he was avoiding her, though she could not figure out why. He had been at the trial and he had said he was cool with her dating Geoff, but Bridgette could sense that not everything was cool with Duncan despite what he had said. Still, despite her desire to help him she had decided to give him his space. Duncan would talk to her when he was ready and she would just have to be patient until then.

* * *

Four days after their conversation about the future Bridgette and her friends were back in the courtroom for McLean's sentencing. Bridgette had been looking forward to this day since the trial had ended and was eager to find out how McLean would be punished. She had been told that she didn't have to be there, but Bridgette was determined to see McLean's face when the sentence was handed down. It was something she had to do, if only so she could face graduation with the knowledge that the bastard was behind bars and that chapter of her life was over.

Bridgette took her seat beside Geoff, smiling as she did. Geoff returned her smile and placed his hand on hers, a gesture that sent shivers down her spine. At that moment Judge Roberts entered and took his seat. And then McLean was brought in, his gaze fixed on the floor in front of him.

"Alright, so let's get started shall we?" said Judge Roberts. He stood and faced Chris, his look stern and cold. "We are here today for the sentencing of one Christopher McLean and it is my decision that his crimes warrant a life sentence in federal prison."

McLean's eyes went wide with fear and surprise. Bridgette could tell that he had been expecting a less severe sentence, though she could not understand why he would have thought that. It was obvious to her that life in prison was what he deserved and she could tell from the reactions of the other people in the courtroom that she wasn't the only one who felt that way.

"Please, isn't there something else you can do?" McLean asked, his voice horse and hollow. "I can't go to prison, I won't make it there."

"That is something you should have thought of before you committed your crimes." Judge Roberts said, his voice cold. "This is my decision and you will serve your sentence whether you want to or not. Take him away."

Guards moved forward and lead McLean from the room. Judge Roberts turned and left as well, leaving the courtroom in silence. For a moment that silence remained and then the room exploded in a chaotic storm of cheers and joy. Bridgette was surprised by how quickly the sentencing had been carried out, but she didn't care. McLean was going to prison for life and she was now free to focus on her future without a black cloud hanging over her anymore.

* * *

A week later, Bridgette stood in her bedroom dressed in her cap and gown. Graduation was only an hour away and she now felt like she was ready to face it head on. All the weight that had been on her shoulders for the last few weeks was gone and Bridgette now felt like she was floating, like she was no longer bound to the earth by the horrors she had experienced. It was a feeling that she had never felt before and she liked it despite the fact that it was in part the result of the ending of her teenage years. In the last week she had come to accept that high school was over and she and her friends were moving on to new things. Now she just had to walk into the school one last time and it would all be over. She would be free and the next chapter of her life would begin.

"Bridgette, honey are you ready to go?" her mother asked, standing in the doorway.

"Yes, let's go." Bridgette answered, smiling at her mother.

Minutes later they arrived at the school where they were greeted by Geoff and his parents. Geoff smiled at Bridgette and they entered the gym, making their way to the spare room where they were to wait until the ceremony began. They entered the spare room to find it full of their classmates, all of them dressed in the pale blue caps and gowns of Hayward High School. Everyone was there, even Duncan, who was standing apart from everyone else. Bridgette and Geoff made their way over to him, Bridgette smiling as they did.

"Duncan, we need to talk." she said, ignoring the look in his eyes.

"About what?" he asked, glaring past her at Geoff. "We've already talked and I've already told you that I'm cool with you and Geoff being together."

"Really, then why have you been avoiding me?" Bridgette asked. "And why do you look like you want to kick Geoff's ass right now?"

"Okay, so maybe I'm not as okay with it as I said I was." Duncan admitted, after a moment of silent hesitation. "But it's only because I'm grateful for everything you've done for me Bridgette. I'm here today because of you and I can't help but love you for that. I'm sorry I've been avoiding you since prom, I just needed to be alone for awhile."

"I understand Duncan, but you need to understand that just because we're not in a relationship anymore doesn't mean you have to avoid me." Bridgette said. "You saved my life and I will be forever grateful for that. So promise me you won't disappear again, okay?"

"Okay, I promise." Duncan said. He turned to Geoff and continued. "Take care of her Geoff. She's all that's good in this world and if anything bad happens to her again I will kick your ass."

"Understood." Geoff said, with a curt nod. "Congratulations, by the way. I'm glad to see you finally graduate dude. You deserve it."

"Thank you Geoff." Duncan said, extending his hand. Geoff took it and shook it finally cementing the bond of friendship Bridgette had always wanted to exist between the two men she loved.

At that moment a bell sounded and Nikki shouted over to them, "Hey, come on guys, it's time to go."

Bridgette glanced at Geoff and Duncan and sighed. "Well, here we go." she said. "Let's go graduate and get out of here." Both boys smiled and they made their way over to the rest of the class, who were gathered by the door.

"You guys ready for this?" Nikki asked, glancing at them.

"Nik I was born ready." said Geoff, his comment drawing chuckles from the others.

They turned towards the door as _Pomp and Circumstance _began playing and two by two they made their way out into the gym in alphabetical order. Bridgette took her seat between Marlowe and Wyatt, grinning as she did so. They both returned her grin, as did Nikki who was on Wyatt's right. The four of them would be the last four members of their class to receive their diplomas as there were no students in the class who's last names began with X, Y, or Z.

After a few minutes of silence Courtney made her way up to the podium to deliver her speech. She had been named valedictorian and had prepared an excellent speech, or so Jen claimed anyway. No one else had heard it, though Bridgette had been looking forward to hearing it for days.

Courtney grinned as she stood before her classmates and their families and friends. "First of all let me thank you all of the parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings, and friends who are here today." she said. "Without all of you my classmates and I could not have made it this far. Your support and your love kept us going even when we were at our lowest points. You have always been there for us and we will be forever grateful for that. Secondly, I would like to thank all of the great teachers we have had over the years. It is because of your guidance and your knowledge that we go forth from this day with a better understanding of how to succeed in the world. Finally I would like to address my classmates." She paused for a moment, her emotions getting the better of her.

After a moment Courtney continued, her voice choked with emotion. "Today marks the end of one chapter of our lives and the beginning of another. We have been through so much together and I sincerely hope that we all reach the dreams we've been chasing. It is the dream of every teenager to reach the end of high school as so many of us see these years as some kind of torture. But inside we all know that we will miss these years and we will do everything in our power to stay in contact with one another. The next chapter of our lives will be a difficult one, but we will face it with courage and passion and love because we know that we can. We faced challenges this year that were beyond anything we have faced before and we overcame them and if we can do that then we can do anything. I thank all of you for your strength and your friendship and I wish you all the best as you embark on whatever path you choose to follow."

Courtney fell silent and returned to her seat as Mr. Strickland, the principal stepped up to the podium. "Thank you for that lovely speech Courtney." he said, with a smile. "Now, it is time to hand out diplomas. We shall begin with Miss Emily Gail Appleton and proceed from there."

Bridgette watched as Emily, a girl she had had in several classes but had never really talked to, walked forward and received her diploma from Mr. Strickland. Several more students names were called, including Julie who's last name was Avant, and then a name Bridgette recognized was called, "Elizabeth Leah Brown." Beth moved forward and took her diploma. She was followed by "Alejandro Antonio Burromuerto, Justin Myles Burromuerto-Marshall, LeShawna Kyliea Carter, Gweneth Danielle Carver, Heather Gayla Chen, Caitlin Shelby Cooke, Sadie Michelle Dawson, Jonesy Salvador Garcia, Owen Michael Gregorski, Eva Sophia Grey-Mendez, Noah Daniel Gunderson, Devon Josheph Harris, Kathrine Sarah Holt, Tyler Malcolm Johnson, Jude Felix Lizowski, Geoffery Dean Martin, Jennifer Lynn Masterson, Harold Norbert Doris Cheever McGrady III, Trent Brian McKenzie, Lindsey Allison Peterson, Duncan David Reynolds..." There was a loud burst of applause at the mention of Duncan's name and Bridgette turned to see his mother, stepfather, and the Kings on their feet as he accepted his diploma.

Duncan was followed by, "Isabella Marie Sharpe, Courtney Anne Smith, Starr Dalia Sullivan, Marlowe Danielle Welling...", and finally, "Bridgette Samantha Wells."

Bridgette rose from her seat and moved towards the podium. Mr. Strickland smiled and shook her hand before handing over her diploma. "Well done Miss Wells." he said. Bridgette smiled and nodded and headed back to her seat, grinning at her parents in the crowd.

After Bridgette came the final two members of the class, "Wyatt Lamar Williams" and "Nicole Anne Wong."

Once Nikki had received her diploma and taken her seat again, Mr. Strickland turned to the crowd and announced proudly, "Ladies and gentlemen I give you the Hayward High class of 2011." The applause that followed were deafening and yet Bridgette could only smile. She had made it, she had graduated and so had her friends. And as they sat and soaked in the admiration of their families, teachers, and friends Bridgette knew she and her classmates would remember this day for the rest of their lives.

**A/N: Well there you go, that's how this fic ends. Well almost, there's still the epilogue, but we're pretty much done. A few things need to be clarified though so please bare with me. First of all, I made up Columbia State University, so it's not a real place (though there is a real university called Columbia University). Secondly, there are more students in the class than those you met in the fic. Emily was one of them and she only appeares at graduation because I couldn't think of another way to work her in earlier. Also, most of the middle and last names are made up, as the full names are usually not revealed in Total Drama and 6teen. Harold is an exception (that is his actual name in the show). Alejandro, Nikki, Jonesy, Jude, Jen, Wyatt, Caitlin, and D.J. are also exceptions, except with D.J. I used his actual first and middle names and with the others I used their actual first and last names. Everyone else I made the middle and last names up. That's it for now. Stay tuned for the epilogue.**


	31. Epilogue: Trials Endured

Two weeks after graduation Bridgette found herself at Bowl-o-Rama with her friends enjoying one last game of bowling before they all left. She still hadn't fully processed the fact that she was done with high school and the next chapter of her life was about to begin. It felt like she had just moved to this town yesterday and yet it also felt like she had been there her whole life. Either way she wasn't sure she was ready to leave, but she knew she had to. All good things come to an end and time marches ever forward, even if we don't want it to. This was a fact Bridgette had to accept, even though acceptance was hard, and as she looked around the room at her friends she knew that she could accept it in spite of everything.

As she glanced around the room again, Bridgette let her gaze rest on each of her friends for a moment as though she was trying to memorize every detail about each of them. And as she studied her friends Bridgette realized that although this was the end of one chapter it was not the end of the journey. She would have more adventures with these people and yet she could not help noticing the things that made each of them unique. Nikki, with her vivid purple hair and dry sense of humor, who had been the first to reach out to Bridgette. Gwen, with her goth style and dark observations. Jude, with his laid back demeanor and love of skateboards. Owen, with his boisterous laugh and seemingly endless appetite. Izzy, with her brilliant smile and crazy antics. LeShawna, with her snarky observations and smooth, streetwise style. Trent and Wyatt, with their musical talent and tight friendship. Duncan, with his tough guy demeanor and fuck you attitude. All of these people and more, she would remember all of them for the rest of her life.

And then there was Geoff, whom Bridgette's gaze fell on last. Geoff, with his love of parties and his battered cowboy hat. Geoff who was the man she loved more than anyone else on Earth. Geoff, who had taken her back even after all she had done to him and still loved her in spite of all that. Geoff, who was perfect in every way, who had lit a fire in her that she knew would never go out, who would be there for her no matter what.

"You see something you like Bridge?" Geoff asked, drawing her out of her reverie.

Bridgette flushed and looked away from him. She hadn't realized she'd been staring at him like that, gaping like an idiot in the middle of the bowling alley. She looked back at him and saw he was smiling that smile that was meant only for her. She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Yes." she said. "I do see something I like, you."

Geoff grinned. "Yeah, I like you to Bridgette. Despite everything that happened this year I still like you, love you actually, but let's not get too technical."

Bridgette laughed and pushed him back from her. "Yeah, we wouldn't want that."

"So why were you staring at me for so long?" Geoff asked. "Not that I mind."

"I was just memorizing everything about you." Bridgette answered. "I was doing it with everyone, you know, just in case we never see each other again."

"You worry too much Bridgette." Geoff said, with a chuckle. "Nothing is going to happen. We'll all see each other again, just not as often. Even with all the things that happened this year we'll find a way to all get together again. You'll see." He leaned in then and kissed her, as if to reassure her that everything would work out in the end.

"Hey Bridgette, you're up bra." Jude shouted, causing her and Geoff to break apart.

Bridgette nodded and stepped up to the lane, her mind spinning. She steadied herself and let her ball fly, driving it in for a strike. She returned to her seat, to a chorus of cheers which finally brought the memories flooding back into her mind. That first day, when she had first met all these people and the fear she had had of being the new kid. The building of her friendships with them, the cheating, the revelation of the truth, being labeled a pariah and finding people who still thought well of her, the attack, the rebuilding of the lost friendships and burnt bridges, prom, the trial, and finally graduation. And as all of these memories replayed in her mind Bridgette realized that it had been the most difficult year of her life. But she had made it through, she had endured her trials and had come out stronger on the other side. And she realized Geoff was right, they would all see each other again, even if it was only once in a while. And as she realized this she realized something else as well, that though it had been a difficult journey and though friendships had been strained and though much pain had been inflicted on all those involved it had all been part of a larger test, a test to see if they were all ready to face the real world, a test they had all passed. The realization made Bridgette smile as she glanced around the room at her friends one last time, smile because she now knew why they had all been forced to endure such struggle. It was because the only way we learn is by enduring the trials of high school.

**End.**

**A/N: Well folks, that's it. The end of another fic. I hope you all enjoyed this one and I thank you for your reviews and your support. I am planning a sequel to this fic so stay tuned for that. **


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